Daniel Jacob Danielsen
Daniel Jacob Danielsen (born Ludvig Daniel Jacob Danielsen; 25 June 1871 – 16 October 1916), nicknamed Dollin, was a Faroese Open Brethren missionary, marine engineer, and humanitarian.[1]
Early life[edit]
Danielsen was born Ludvig Daniel Jacob Danielsen on 25 June, 1871 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Born out of wedlock to Sigrid Frederikke Angelica Danielsen and Ludvig Jørgensen, he was named after his father despite never knowing him; Danielsen himself never used his first name, and it does not appear on his gravestone. His mother had moved to Copenhagen in her youth to work as a domestic servant, and moved back to the Faroe Islands with the young Danielsen shortly after his birth. Her paternal nephew, Victor Danielsen, became a missionary for the Open Brethren as well, additionally being the first to translate the Bible into Faroese.[2][3]
At the age of 18, Danielsen moved to Scotland to train as a marine engineer, eventually working on voyages heading to places like South Africa and the United States. After attending an Open Brethren open-air service in Glasgow in 1897, Danielsen experienced a religious awakening and subsequently became involved with the Seamen's Mission in Glasgow, later travelling to South Africa in hopes of obtaining missionary work.[2][3]
Missionary and humanitarian work[edit]
After responding to a job posting in South Africa, Danielsen worked for the Congo-Balolo Mission in the Congo Free State from 1901 to 1903, primarily in Bonginda. He mainly worked as an engineer on the missionary boat that sailed up and down the Congo River, occasionally filling in as missionary himself.[2]
After he was accused by a colleague of using corporal punishment against the Congolese natives, he was recalled from the mission in 1903. On his way back to the shore, he met then-British Consul in the Congo Roger Casement. Casement had been appointed to write a report on allegations of atrocities committed by the Force Publique against the native Congolese, who were being used for forced labour in the rubber industry at the time. In need of an engineer for his boat, Casement hired Danielsen on 17 July: alongside his duties as engineer, Danielsen also acted as Casement's interpreter, translator and principal photographer, being the man responsible for photographing the report's most prominent atrocities. Following the report's conclusion, he exhibited the photographs in meetings in England and the Faroe Islands, playing a vital part in galvanising the effort against Leopold II's ownership of the Congo.[2][4]
In 1904 Danielsen moved to the Faroe Islands with his wife, Lina, where he became one of the most prolific evangelists for the Open Brethren.[2] He passed away in Tórshavn on 16 October 1916, aged 45.
References[edit]
- ^ Maye, Brian (14 December 2014). "Daniel J Danielsen – a pioneering humanitarian who helped Roger Casement expose the horror of Belgian rule in the Congo". The Irish Times. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Jacobsen, Óli (2014). Daniel J. Danielsen and the Congo: Missionary Campaigns and Atrocity Photographs (PDF). Brethren Archivists and Historians Network. ISBN 978-0-9570177-4-0.
- ^ a b Jacobsen, Óli. "Daniel J. Danielsen (1871–1916): The Faeroese who Changed History in the Congo". Brethrenhistory.org. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
- ^ Petersen, Anker Eli (24 September 2014). "The Casement Report 1904 and Daniel J. Danielsen". Stamps.fo. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
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