FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

7.5 CONCLUSION
The aim of this liturgy is that the Christian chinamwali be a means of evangelism and
discipleship in itself, enabling young women to recognise the Lord through the very
event, thus wanting to dedicate their lives to God in holiness, and to wait for a husband
in marriage. Through this study one has moved from pre-Christian chinamwali to a
Christian chilangizo which is in fact a Christian chinamwali. This too, is part of the
religious itinerary ofthe Chewa people.
Pre-Christian chinamwali has a socio-religious significance in Chewa society. Its sym­
bolic meaning is that of death to the old life and re-birth into the new life of adulthood,
where the young woman is re-incorporated into the community of the living and the
dead. Chinamwali is the transition rite where ancestral customs are passed to younger
generations, and this gives the young woman a sense of identity and history. The initial
Christian response to the traditional rite was in the form ofa booklet, Bukhu la Alangizi.
Through observing three ceremonies, interviews and discussions, the author assessed
whether chilangizo is an adequate response to the traditional rite. The study revealed
that while the Christian response attempted to respond to chinamwali, it falls far short of
meeting the needs ofthe Chewa people. The church does not respond adequately to the
issue of puberty as a full ritual of transition and incorporation into community, where
the young woman is treated as a whole person. It does not reflect the Chewa sense of
identity and history, for while it fulfils technically the categories of a transition rite, in
reality chilangizo is far from the dynamism of the traditional rite. Although chilangizo
is claimed to be a 'Christian' rite, the biblical teaching is too abstract and depends on
literary 'text' rather than allowing Scripture to interpret the chinamwali and all its
meanings. The church has also failed to empower the practitioners to develop an effec­
tive ministry, hence there is much dissonance between theory and practice, which has
also resulted in alangizi losing their credibility among both Christians and non-Chris­
tians.
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