[3] The cholera epidemic of 1867 caused the death of 80,000 people in French Algeria[4] and left a large number of Algerian orphans, prompting the establishment of the society of White Fathers in Maison-Carrée (now El-Harrach), near Algiers.

Lavigerie instructed his missionaries to integrate with local cultures by speaking the native language, eating the same food, and wearing the same clothing.

As a result, they adopted traditional North African attire for their vestments: the gandoura for the cassock, the burnous for the mantle, and the chechia for the zucchetto.

The Mambwe had been harassed by the politically and linguistically dominant Bemba people of northern Zambia, towards whom the White Fathers subsequently directed their efforts.

[7] White Father missionaries in French Algeria ransomed a young slave, Adrien Atiman, and arranged for his education.

[9] In 1882, at the request of the Holy See, the White Fathers established St. Anne's Seminary in Jerusalem to train Greek Melchite clergy of that rite.

The White Fathers, members of the international Missionary Society of priests and brothers, numbered: As of 2021, the Society is constituted as follows: -1,144 Missionaries of Africa – fully professed priests, deacons, and brothers: -467 are living and working in Europe -120 in the Americas -510 in Africa -16 in Asia -31 in the Generalate in Rome Although there are currently 460 students at various stages of preparation, many of the White Fathers are retired due to age or ill health.

The theological studies are conducted at scholasticates currently located in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Nairobi (Kenya), Merrivale (Devon), South Africa, and Jerusalem.

The Missionaries of Africa society claims that, from its origins, it has aimed at the evangelization of the African continent and addressing the presence of Islam in the world.

Since its founding by Charles- Martial Allemand- Lavigerie, the White Fathers have been predominantly active in the following areas: the establishment and development of new Christian communities in Africa; the formation of laity and clergy; social work; the struggle for justice within African countries; rural development; and the attempt to convert followers of other faiths, particularly in opposition to Islam.

The archives at the Regional House outside Mwanza, Tanzania, provide valuable insight into the research conducted in the areas where the White Fathers lived and worked.

The archives contain the Rapports Annuales and a complete set of Chronique Trimestrielle, which document the White Fathers' progress in pursuing their goals from the 1880s to the late 1950s.

After the death of Charles-Martial Allemand-Lavigerie in 1892, the position of Superior General evolved into one of ultimate leadership, as the Society's work was no longer overseen by a Cardinal or Archbishop.

[14] The table below lists all the General Superiors from 1874 to the present day:[16] The White Fathers were once the largest missionary society in Zambia.

However, Britain, which sought to exercise indirect colonial control in the region, refused to allow the French White Fathers to establish missions before 1900.

[17] Following a request from Zambian authorities for the remains of Joseph Dupont, the bishop's bones were reburied at Chilubula Mission on 15 December 2000.

[17] Africa is a continent with high levels of Islamic worship, which influenced the White Fathers' choice of robes resembling those of Algerian Arabs.

The archives hold a variety of materials, including correspondence, reports, general administration documents, and publications from their founder, Cardinal Lavigerie.

[23] A similar regional archive exists in Mwanza, Tanzania, documenting the activities of the "White Fathers" who worked in this area.

[24] Photographic archives related to the "White Fathers" missionary work throughout the 20th century can be found in various institutions, such as the Smithsonian, which provides images of the missions and the Africans living near them in Rwanda and Burundi.

Similar photographs are also held in the University of Birmingham archives, documenting a variety of missionary activities across several African countries.