FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

In her work, Women, Presbyterianism and Patriarchy: Religious experience of Chewa
Women in Central Malawi, Phiri, I (1997) critically examines the attitude and response
of the Dutch Reformed Church Mission (DRCM) to female initiation rites and African
traditional culture in general. After outlining the histories of women in Chewa society,
she analyses stage by stage the position of the Church as it struggled with the customs
of the Chewa people over a period of more than forty years when the 'Christianized'
initiation rite was finally accepted by the Church. Her work is important because it
gives a good historical background of the Chewa people. She also argues for a critical
analysis of the content of the teachings of the Church initiation so that they may pro­
mote the liberation of women from patriarchal structures and thus reject anything that
denies the full humanity ofwomen in Africa.
Chingota, F (in Cox 1998) also gives A Historical Account ofthe Attitude ofBlantyre
Synod ofthe Church of Central Africa Presbyterian Towards Initiation Rites in Blan­
tyre, the southern part of the country. In his work he shows how the early missionaries
responded to the issue ofinitiation rites by using four approaches at different periods in
their history. Using such missionary legacy, Chingota then shows how the Synod has
made little progress on developing suitable teaching material for the christianised chi­
langizo. He calls for the Synod's action on such a 'crucial issue'.
Stuart, R G in his doctoral thesis, Christianity and the Chewa: The Anglican case 1885­
1950, outlines the conversion history of the Eastern Chewa of Likoma Island, Nkhota­
kota and Ntchisi through their contact with the Anglican church of the Universities'
Mission to Central Africa. Stuart shows the church's insistent opposition to Chewa tra­
ditional beliefs that they thought were incompatible with Christianity, one ofwhich was
initiation (unamwali or chinamwali), and the development and replacement of the tradi­
tional beliefs with Christian alternatives. The church opposed the initiation ceremonies
for girls on the grounds that it involved 'much beer drinking, dancing, obscenity and
immorality (Stuart 1974:192). Christians were therefore forbidden to take part. Despite
the negative attitude, and like the DRC, the UMCA from the 1920s attempted to achieve
a synthesis oftraditional Chewa and Christian principles through the Anglican women's
organisation called the 'Mother's Union.'
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