FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:
FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO: FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:
it is the mother who is normally accused of kusasamala (not being careful) or kupha okha mwana! (killing her own child!). Similarly, if a girl remains childless after mar riage, the mother is blamed for failure to observe the necessary taboos. Normally, this means that the parents did not abstain from sexual activity at the appropriate times, and it is the wife who must refuse to have sex with her husband (see Appendix A, women's demonstration after song 51). In 4.6 above it was noted that 'most African religious traditions have placed procreation at the centre of the woman's universe' (Oduyoye 1992:17). This is why the woman is responsible for making sure the taboos are observed, and if anything goes wrong, she is blamed. There is some mysterious power that works through the sexual act and inflicts mdulo on the victim. Some informants, both Christian and non-Christian, have testified to the death ofa number ofchildren due to mdulo The question is: Is it in reality that 'ancestor spirits' [ancestors] come and punish the living?' If we look at some passages in Scripture, with the exception of the spirit of Samuel (and he only related words that God had already spoken) (1 Sam 28), it appears that the spirits ofthe dead cannot come back and interfere with the living. And yet that is what the living human beings think happens. So who actually comes to punish if it is not the mizimu [ancestors]? Here we need to be discerning. For if Scripture says that 'Satana yemwe adzionetsa ngati mngelo wakuunika.' ('Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light') (2 Corinthians 11: 14, NIV), why can he not imitate an ancestor? Nor mally people think that it is their ancestors that come and punish a person. Could not, in reality, there be a demonic masquerade occurring as Paul warns: 'Koma nditi kuti zimene amitundu apereka nsembe azipereka kwa ziwanda; osati kwa Mulungu, ndipo sindifuna kuti inu muyanjane ndi ziwanda' ('No, but the sacrifices ofpagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons') (1 Cor inthians 10:20)? Could it not be that deceiving spirits do interfere with the living claiming to bless them (when God himself blesses them), or inflicting them with mis fortunes and filling them with fear? This is evidenced by the fact that the Chewa spiri tual world is populated mostly with 'evil' spirits represented by the nyau. The Chewa believe that the mysterious powers surrounding chinamwali and all the mdulo taboos derive from the mizimu. Could not evil spirits impersonate ancestors and reinforce obe- 115
dience to the ancestral customs so that they can keep the people under their control? For the Chewa, this new interpretation of chinamwali can be done from a Christian under standing. Jesus Christ already conquered the masquerading and impersonating spirits and can set the Chewa people free from their bondage and from fear ofdeath. Ifthe Son ofGod came 'kuti akaononge ntchito za mdierekezi' ('to destroy the work ofthe devil') (1 John 3:8), then God has mightily broken into Chewa history in the ministry, death and resurrection ofChrist to destroy the works ofall spiritual powers. Paul calls these spiritual forces 'maufumu; aulamuliro; mphamvu za dziko lapansi lam dima; ndi mizimu yoipa yamumlengalenga.' ('rulers; authorities; powers of this dark world; and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms') (Ephesians 6:12) Paul testi fies that because 'mwa lye cikhalira cidzalo ca Umulungu m'thupi' ('all the fullness of the Deity lives in Christ') (Col 2:9) Christ becomes head over them all. Since Jesus transcends the whole spiritual domain, and 'summing up in himself all their powers and cancelling any terrorising influence they might be assumed to have upon us' (Bediako 2000:27), there is no need for Chewa Christians to continue their allegiance to any of them, nor to fear them. The good news is that Jesus Christ has power to redeem the Chewa from the evil powers. Love and obedience go together. Fear of punishment is key to obeying miyambo for harmonious living in Chewa traditional society. Since Jesus has become Saviour and Lord, the only real and true Ancestor for the Chewa people, his Gospel is more than just fear ofand obedience to God's law. The Gospel means Jesus living and dwelling within a person so that the person responds in obedience because of love - not because of fear of punishment. Jesus says in John 14:21 'lye wakukhala nao malamulo anga, ndi kuwasunga, iyeyu ndiye wondikonda ine.' ('Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me'). So loving God and obeying his commands is imperative for the Chewa Christians. Both in the Old Testament and the New Testa ment, love is the driving force. It is true that God warned the Israelites in the Old Tes tament that he would punish them, but that was because he loved them and wanted them to respond to him out of love and not fear. God went much further and offered some thing far, far better than fear -love through his Son (1 John 4:4-21). This text even talks 116
- Page 74 and 75: has her menses. Ulemu is also manif
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- Page 88 and 89: She mentioned that she did not know
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- Page 96 and 97: elderly people to mill their maize,
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- Page 106 and 107: All the three ceremonies show that
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- Page 131 and 132: social' (Oduyoye 1992:9). Through d
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- Page 135 and 136: Please note that singing, dancing,
- Page 137 and 138: The meaning is that this is the cou
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- Page 143 and 144: tion and gift-giving time. While al
- Page 145 and 146: 7.5 CONCLUSION The aim of this litu
- Page 147 and 148: Chapter two 7. See Howell, A (2001)
- Page 149 and 150: also be either a Christian or a non
- Page 151 and 152: 51. Chingondo must have a very sign
- Page 153 and 154: Chapter six 67. Although the pastor
- Page 155 and 156: SOURCES CONSULTED 1. Primary source
- Page 157 and 158: --- 1995. Christianity in Africa: T
- Page 159 and 160: The National Atlas ofMalawi, 1983.
- Page 161 and 162: DeGabriele, J 1999. When pills don'
- Page 163 and 164: GLOSSARY OF CHEWA WORDS· Abambo Ab
- Page 165: Mkuzi M1andu Mmeto Mnjeza Mpalo str
- Page 169 and 170: PLATE 3 Chingondo - On the Head of
- Page 171 and 172: PLATES Chilangizo at Mphindo Baptis
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dience to the ancestral customs so that they can keep the people under their control? For<br />
the Chewa, this new interpretation of chinamwali can be done from a Christian under<br />
standing. Jesus Christ already conquered the masquerading and impersonating spirits<br />
and can set the Chewa people free from their bondage and from fear ofdeath. Ifthe Son<br />
ofGod came 'kuti akaononge ntchito za mdierekezi' ('to destroy the work ofthe devil')<br />
(1 John 3:8), then God has mightily broken into Chewa history in the ministry, death<br />
and resurrection ofChrist to destroy the works ofall spiritual powers.<br />
Paul calls these spiritual forces 'maufumu; aulamuliro; mphamvu za dziko lapansi lam<br />
dima; ndi mizimu yoipa yamumlengalenga.' ('rulers; authorities; powers of this dark<br />
world; and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms') (Ephesians 6:12) Paul testi<br />
fies that because 'mwa lye cikhalira cidzalo ca Umulungu m'thupi' ('all the fullness of<br />
the Deity lives in Christ') (Col 2:9) Christ becomes head over them all. Since Jesus<br />
transcends the whole spiritual domain, and 'summing up in himself all their powers and<br />
cancelling any terrorising influence they might be assumed to have upon us' (Bediako<br />
2000:27), there is no need for Chewa Christians to continue their allegiance to any of<br />
them, nor to fear them. The good news is that Jesus Christ has power to redeem the<br />
Chewa from the evil powers.<br />
Love and obedience go together. Fear of punishment is key to obeying miyambo for<br />
harmonious living in Chewa traditional society. Since Jesus has become Saviour and<br />
Lord, the only real and true Ancestor for the Chewa people, his Gospel is more than just<br />
fear ofand obedience to God's law. The Gospel means Jesus living and dwelling within<br />
a person so that the person responds in obedience because of love - not because of fear<br />
of punishment. Jesus says in John 14:21 'lye wakukhala nao malamulo anga, ndi<br />
kuwasunga, iyeyu ndiye wondikonda ine.' ('Whoever has my commands and obeys<br />
them, he is the one who loves me'). So loving God and obeying his commands is<br />
imperative for the Chewa Christians. Both in the Old Testament and the New Testa<br />
ment, love is the driving force. It is true that God warned the Israelites in the Old Tes<br />
tament that he would punish them, but that was because he loved them and wanted them<br />
to respond to him out of love and not fear. God went much further and offered some<br />
thing far, far better than fear -love through his Son (1 John 4:4-21). This text even talks<br />
116
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