FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:
FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO: FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:
1. INTRODUCTION Ntchembere yanzeru, mwana wake akatha msinkhu, amamuitanira anamkungwi namuuza mwambo wa makolo asanapite kumpingo. (A wise mother, when her daughter experiences her fIrst menses, calls one or two anamkungwi to instruct the girl in the customs of our ancestors [mwambo wa makolo] before she goes to the church.) The above statement by a traditional instructress of initiation rites reflects the impor tance of ancestral customs among the Chewa people even in the twenty-first century. It also shows that she perceives 'Church' or the Christian message as an after-thought and perhaps inadequate to deal with the deep issues of life. One chief also expressed that he wished his people underwent the traditional initiation rites first then join the church afterwards. This raises the question as to whether the Church has adequately understood cultural practices associated with the initiation rites or been able to appropriately allow Scriptures to interpret rites. The problem is that the way the Christian message has been presented it has failed to helpfully interpret cultural traditions and beliefs. In an attempt to integrate the Gospel with culture, the early Western missionaries to Africa had to grapple with some cultural aspects that seemed to be incompatible with the Christian faith. This became more evident with respect to rites of passage as performed by Afri cans. Realizing the importance of such transition rites in peoples' lives, the early mis sionaries attempted to give a Christian response to the traditional customs and practices surrounding the life cycle rituals. The American Southern Baptist missionaries in Malawi have been no exception in facing the same struggle. Like other missionaries in Malawi, the Baptists responded by introducing a 'christian ized' initiation rite called chilangizo 1 in place ofthe traditional rite commonly known as chinamwali. Both are collective terms referring to initiation rites for girls and boys which include, 2 puberty rites for girls, marriage rites, first pregnancy and childbirth rites. The problem, however, is that chilangizo for girls upon their puberty, does not adequately help the young women to go through the transition from puberty to adult hood. 1
1.1 MOTIVATION As a researcher, I am aware of my own status as a Malawian Evangelical Baptist woman. This position has enabled me to identify with the women struggling over the issues of chilangizo. Although I am a recognized church leader in the Baptist denomi nation, the issue ofchilangizo and chinamwali are a real problem for me personally. My personal involvement in chilangizo for girls at puberty and for young mothers on their first pregnancy and childbirth created in me a sense of inadequacy and ignorance so that I could not continue with the task. When I was assigned the responsibility of mlangizi (plural alangizi) in our local church in the early 1980's I was a mother ofthree children aged between six to one years. I was handed a booklet, Bukhu la Alangizi (the Instructresses' Booklet) to help me in my ministry. It contained some explanatory notes, what to tell the initiates, and some Bible verses for each of the rites mentioned above. Every time I was invited to instruct a girl, I read through the booklet in advance, scrib bled a few notes, and then went and gave a twenty to thirty minutes lecture to the initi ate. In the course of my duties I became more and more disappointed to learn that the parents of the initiates were not satisfied with the Baptist church's chilangizo. I have heard similar comments over a number of years from among the Baptist men and women, including some church leaders. Instead, they prefer to send their girls, secretly, to chinamwali. Non-Christian parents too have tended to undermine chilangizo, saying that it does not deal with the 'real issues.' Thus this study is an attempt to investigate factors that have contributed to such dissatisfaction and to reconstruct the rites in the light ofthe Gospel. Therefore I undertook this research, as a learner. I am committed to a thorough study in order to search for the truth so that I, too, may benefit from this study. My beliefs and my role in the Baptist denomination may contribute to bias in the way I view issues. However, in observation, interviews, analysis and writing, I have attempted to be objective. I have endeavoured to put on the Chewa cultural garments and learn to appreciate their heritage as well as learn from the Chewa themselves, even if it meant coming into close contact with the nyau whom traditionally I have dreaded. 2
- Page 1: FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO: THE
- Page 4 and 5: MWACHIDULE Chimangiriro ichi chikuf
- Page 6 and 7: TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION n ABS
- Page 8 and 9: MAPS........................•...
- Page 12 and 13: My motivation, therefore, in the st
- Page 14 and 15: In her work, Women, Presbyterianism
- Page 16 and 17: This study covers female initiation
- Page 18 and 19: vation and interviewing. The method
- Page 20 and 21: church leaders, both men and women,
- Page 22 and 23: Scriptures in order to understand w
- Page 24 and 25: 2. THE 'RELIGIOUS ITINERARY'? OF TH
- Page 26 and 27: name of a person or his title to de
- Page 28 and 29: lineage, and the whole community. F
- Page 30 and 31: cross boundaries), and ziwanda ('ev
- Page 32 and 33: ciation and 'celebration ofthe powe
- Page 34 and 35: 3. THE EMERGENCE OF THE SOUTHERN BA
- Page 36 and 37: (2001:12) points out, three things
- Page 38 and 39: tongues. Hilary Mijoga (1998:31) no
- Page 40 and 41: 2002). The two groups continued sep
- Page 42 and 43: instrumental in supporting the idea
- Page 44 and 45: On the mission field not all missio
- Page 46 and 47: Autonomy is a term which expresses
- Page 48 and 49: that our likulu is in heaven, and t
- Page 50 and 51: Chewa is that menstrual blood is sa
- Page 52 and 53: girls are 'captured' and put in the
- Page 54 and 55: nity of both the living and the anc
- Page 56 and 57: evil intentions at the initiation c
- Page 58 and 59: Makanja or namkhwanya are masked da
1.1 MOTIVATION<br />
As a researcher, I am aware of my own status as a Malawian Evangelical Baptist<br />
woman. This position has enabled me to identify with the women struggling over the<br />
issues of chilangizo. Although I am a recognized church leader in the Baptist denomi<br />
nation, the issue ofchilangizo and chinamwali are a real problem for me personally.<br />
My personal involvement in chilangizo for girls at puberty and for young mothers on<br />
their first pregnancy and childbirth created in me a sense of inadequacy and ignorance<br />
so that I could not continue with the task. When I was assigned the responsibility of<br />
mlangizi (plural alangizi) in our local church in the early 1980's I was a mother ofthree<br />
children aged between six to one years. I was handed a booklet, Bukhu la Alangizi (the<br />
Instructresses' Booklet) to help me in my ministry. It contained some explanatory notes,<br />
what to tell the initiates, and some Bible verses for each of the rites mentioned above.<br />
Every time I was invited to instruct a girl, I read through the booklet in advance, scrib<br />
bled a few notes, and then went and gave a twenty to thirty minutes lecture to the initi<br />
ate. In the course of my duties I became more and more disappointed to learn that the<br />
parents of the initiates were not satisfied with the Baptist church's chilangizo. I have<br />
heard similar comments over a number of years from among the Baptist men and<br />
women, including some church leaders. Instead, they prefer to send their girls, secretly,<br />
to chinamwali. Non-Christian parents too have tended to undermine chilangizo, saying<br />
that it does not deal with the 'real issues.' Thus this study is an attempt to investigate<br />
factors that have contributed to such dissatisfaction and to reconstruct the rites in the<br />
light ofthe Gospel. Therefore I undertook this research, as a learner. I am committed to<br />
a thorough study in order to search for the truth so that I, too, may benefit from this<br />
study.<br />
My beliefs and my role in the Baptist denomination may contribute to bias in the way I<br />
view issues. However, in observation, interviews, analysis and writing, I have attempted<br />
to be objective. I have endeavoured to put on the Chewa cultural garments and learn to<br />
appreciate their heritage as well as learn from the Chewa themselves, even if it meant<br />
coming into close contact with the nyau whom traditionally I have dreaded.<br />
2
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