Solomon Tilewa Ethelbert Willie Johnson (27 February 1954 - 21 January 2014) was a Gambian Anglican bishop. He was the bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Gambia and the Rio Pongas and archbishop of the

Church of the Province of West Africa The Church of the Province of West Africa is a province of the Anglican Communion, covering 17 dioceses in eight countries of West Africa, specifically in Cameroon, Cape Verde, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Ghana is th ...

. He was married and had a son and two daughters.

Early life and studies

Born at Bathurst (now

Banjul Banjul (, (US) and ), officially the City of Banjul, is the capital city of The Gambia. It is the centre of the eponymous administrative division which is home to an estimated 400,000 residents, making it The Gambia's largest and most densely ...

) in 1954, he attended primary school at Banjul from 1962 to 1966. In 1974 he became a teacher at Gambia High School. He moved to

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, where he studied at Trinity College in Umuahia from 1977 to 1980, earning a degree in Theology in 1980. He pursued his studies at the University of Durham,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, from 1982 to 1985, graduating with a BA in Theology with his dissertation ''The Impact of African Communal Ritual on Modern Christian Missions, 1821-1965''.

Ecclesiastical career

Johnson was ordained as a deacon in 1979 and a priest in 1980. He was consecrated the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Gambia and the Rio Pongas in 1990, the first Gambian national to hold the office, which he retained until his death. He was elected the ninth Archbishop

Primate Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...

of the

(CPWA) on 28 September 2012, succeeding Justice Akrofi. At the same time it was resolved to divide the CPWA into two internal (or metropolitical) provinces, the Province of Ghana (of which Daniel Sarfo became the first

Metropolitan archbishop Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

), and the Province of West Africa, of which Johnson was the Metropolitan archbishop as well as being the archbishop primate of CPWA. He was a strong supporter of

Anglican realignment The Anglican realignment is a movement among some Anglicans to align themselves under new or alternative oversight within or outside the Anglican Communion. This movement is primarily active in parts of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episco ...

, attending GAFCON II, that took place in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, from 21 to 26 October 2013.More Anglican Communion leaders pay tribute to the West Africa Primate, Anglican Communion News Service, 23 January 2014
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Death

He died unexpectedly aged 59, after collapsing while playing tennis on the evening of 21 January 2014. He was taken to the Medical Research Council in Bakau-Fajara, where he was pronounced dead. Archbishop Eliud Wabukala, of the

Anglican Church of Kenya The Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) is a province of the Anglican Communion, and it is composed by 41 dioceses. The current Leader and Archbishop of Kenya is Jackson Ole Sapit. The Anglican Church of Kenya claims 5 million total members. Accordin ...

, said upon his death: "It was with shock and great sadness that we heard about the sudden death of our brother Primate, S. Tilewa Johnson, earlier this week. In October last year we shared fellowship at GAFCON 2013 here in Nairobi and we thank God for his commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ whom he served with a robust faith and cheerful energy throughout his ministry. He was a man of global vision and his death, so untimely from our human perspective, has deprived not only the Church of the Province of West Africa, but the whole Anglican Communion of a talented leader."

Family

His mother-in-law was former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Gambia Cecilia Cole.

References

External links

The Most Reverend Solomon Tilewa Johnson, 1954-2014, eLearning Africa, 24 January 2014
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Solomon Tilewa 1954 births 2014 deaths Anglican bishops of Gambia and the Rio Pongas 20th-century Anglican bishops in Africa 21st-century Anglican bishops in Africa 21st-century Anglican archbishops People from Banjul Alumni of St John's College, Durham Trinity Theological College, Umuahia alumni Gambian bishops Anglican archbishops of West Africa