FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

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APPENDIX D (Translated with permission) THE ALANGIZl BOOKLET 1 CONTENTS Who are alangizi?....................... I How do we choose alangizi? 1 The role ofalangizi 2 Chinamwali (Puberty) 4 Courtship 6 Wedding 9 First pregnancy 14 Birth ofa child 16 FOREWORD Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that noone will malign the word of God. WHO ARE ALANGIZl? (Titus 2:3-5) Alangizi are women chosen by the church to instruct girls in a Christian way. They must be faithful Christians who are chosen because of their maturity and understanding in their Christian life. Their main work is to lead girls who do not know Christ to receive Him as their personal Saviour; and to lead the girls to grow spiritually in Christ. The alangizi will also act as aphungu (tutors) when the girls have their first menstruation. Two women must be chosen in every local church. Alangizi should not receive any gift in their work for their gift is in the joy they get in serving the Lord. HOW CAN WE CHOOSE ALANGIZl? As the girl takes care of her body, she must keep it pure. Alangizi should remind her that since she is a Christian, her body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Because ofthis, she must therefore honour God with her body and in all that she does. 'Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own, you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.' (I Corinthians 6: 19,20). The private parts of the body have their own special role. They must be kept pure. Girls should not use them in immoral way that will bring sorrow in the end. Defilement only brings regret to the girl because: I. She breaks God's command. 2. She can have a fatherless child. 3. She can contract venereal diseases like syphilis or gonorrhoea. 4. She brings shame to the parents. 5. She can contract AIDS. A girl should have self-control and not defile or sin against her body. But that God is honoured by her chastity. ' ... The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord When choosing alangizi, parents in the church must look for longstanding Christians who have been in the church for not less than five years if possible. The alangizi must be married with children. It would be advantageous ifthe alangizi would be able to read and write. They should also be able to attend alangizi meetings which are held once or twice per year at their associations. THE ROLE OF ALANGIZl Alangizi should know that they were chosen by the church to serve God. They must teach the girls Christian values. Their role is: I. The alangizi must show exemplary Christian lifestyle and witness. 2. They are to lead those who do not know Christ to receive Jesus as their personal Saviour. They must use the Scripture verses below to lead the girls to salvation: Romans 3:23 Romans 6:23 Romans 5:8 " ...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is etemal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." John I: 12 "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." Romans 10:9, 10 "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with for the body.' (I Cor. 6: 13). 'Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.' Romans 12:1). Very often parents force their children to have 'boy friends' while they are still young. Sometimes parents choose husbands for their children. Such a marriage does not last long because there is no love. The alangizi should instruct the parents not to marry off their daughters at an early age. A girl should wait until she reaches a good marriageable age of 17 or 18 years, while the young man should be over 22. Some of the things the alangizi need to tell the girl at the time ofpuberty are the following: They must tell her that: I. She should not play with children. 2. She must respect parents, the chiefand elders. 3. She must be obedient. 4. She should avoid lying, stealing, and fighting. 5. She must be industrious. Romans 10:13. 197 your mouth that you confess and are saved." "for, Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 3. Write the names of the girls who come for lessons. Write their dates of birth and the date of their first menses. 4. Teach them the anatomy of the body from the biblical perspective. 5. Continue to teach the girls when they are dating; on their marriage, during their first pregnancy, and when the first baby is born. 6. Issue a letter of confirmation when a baby is born. 7. Instruct the girls in all that is not compatible with the Word ofGod. CHINAMWALl (pUBERTY) When the alangizi are informed about a girl's first menses, they should meet with the girl together with her mother and phungu. After praying together, the alangizi should begin teaching mwambo (counsel). When a girl matures her body changes. That is how God made it. 'For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.' (Psalm 139:13,14). Her body changes both physically as well as how it looks like. Blood from the girl's private parts is a sign of puberty and this blood flow happens once every month for a few days. Since every woman experiences this sign, so no one should worry that it is some illness. It foretells the future. This is God's own way in order for us to have children The alangizi must instruct the girl on how to care for her body and her clothing, She must be more hygienic particularly when she is in menses. 6. She should not mention God's name in vain 7. It is not good to swear (misprinted in Chichewa kulambira [to worship1 instead of kulumbira [to swear an oathD. 8. She must keep the Sabbath. 9. She must honour God's house. 10. The disease of mdulo (cutting) has no power to harm anyone. The rest of the booklet contains instruction on courtship, marriage, first pregnancy, and the birth ofa baby. I This is the revised version. Since its first print, in 1974/75, the booklet has been reprinted several times to replenish the stock. However, it was revised in the 1990s just by adding the statement "Can contract AIDS' (Int. Mr. Kaluwa, Manager, Baptist Publications, 25/4/200I).
APPENDIX E PROPOSED MAPHUNZIRO A ALANGIZI GAWOLOYAMBA THE FIRST PART MUMPINGO WA BAPTIST Momwemonso akazi okalamba akha1e nao akhalidwe oyenera anthu oyera...kuti akalangize akazi ang'ono akonde amuna ao, akonde ana ao, akhale odziletsa, odekha, ocita m'nyumba mwwao, okoma, akumvera amuna a iwo okha, kuti mau a Mulungu angacitidwe mwano. Tito 2:3-5 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live... Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no-one will malign the word ofGod. UDINDO WA MPINGO THE ROLE OF THE CONGREGATION Titus 2:3-5 Mpingo uli wonse uzikonza kawiri kawiri maphunziro aulangizi ndikuphunzitsa alangizi ngakhalenso mpingo wonse. Ulangizi umene uli mkatimu ndiokhuzana ndi amayi osati amuna ayl. Each congregation must frequently arrange training sessions on ulangizi for her members. The instruction in this booklet is for female, and not male, initiation. ULANGIZI NDI CHIYANI? WHAT IS ULANGIZn Kuti timvetsetse tanthauzo la ulangizi, tiyenera tiyambe tawona tanthauzo lochokera kuchikhalidwe chathu chakumakolo, kenaka ndikuona kuti Bukhu Loyera likuti bwanji. In order for us to understand the meaning of ulangizi we need fIrst of all to look at the meaning from the traditional initiation rites and then the biblical interpretation. 198
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FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO: THE
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MWACHIDULE Chimangiriro ichi chikuf
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TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION n ABS
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MAPS........................•...
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1. INTRODUCTION Ntchembere yanzeru,
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My motivation, therefore, in the st
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In her work, Women, Presbyterianism
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This study covers female initiation
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vation and interviewing. The method
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church leaders, both men and women,
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Scriptures in order to understand w
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2. THE 'RELIGIOUS ITINERARY'? OF TH
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name of a person or his title to de
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lineage, and the whole community. F
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cross boundaries), and ziwanda ('ev
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ciation and 'celebration ofthe powe
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3. THE EMERGENCE OF THE SOUTHERN BA
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(2001:12) points out, three things
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tongues. Hilary Mijoga (1998:31) no
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2002). The two groups continued sep
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instrumental in supporting the idea
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On the mission field not all missio
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Autonomy is a term which expresses
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that our likulu is in heaven, and t
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Chewa is that menstrual blood is sa
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girls are 'captured' and put in the
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nity of both the living and the anc
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evil intentions at the initiation c
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Makanja or namkhwanya are masked da
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The first day's activities end with
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Then at the end ofthe song all the
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In the evening the initiates perfon
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While singing the same song above,
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the other being 'cutting' one's thr
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ishing them, especially if any of t
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stand and makes her jump over the s
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has her menses. Ulemu is also manif
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Teaching on the observance of taboo
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importance of the ritual. The prese
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When they are buried in the ground,
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5. CHILANGIZO: A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE
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Merely to condemn their rites and g
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Adopting the Christian faith, as Wa
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She mentioned that she did not know
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espectively (with pennission) ofbot
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port the teaching. The instruction
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6.2 CHILANGIZO CEREMONY AT CHIMENYA
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elderly people to mill their maize,
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women repeated most of what had bee
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There are dos and donts!' The whole
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Traditional beliefs. Things do chan
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such as phada (girls' game ofjumpin
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All the three ceremonies show that
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Generally, rituals Help people reme
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Human life is seen as a unity betwe
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The three case studies ofzilangizo
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With regard to the teaching content
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The booklet does not give instructi
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nences too great a strain as well a
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7. CONCLUSION: TOWARDS A CHRISTIAN
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The Scriptures say a great deal abo
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it is the mother who is normally ac
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about the fact that 'chikondi chang
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married couples as well, it would a
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social' (Oduyoye 1992:9). Through d
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seclusion until the chinamwali cere
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Please note that singing, dancing,
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The meaning is that this is the cou
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9. Ndinu mudanlenga inetu eee! Muda
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Onse azibvina akugwira thupi lawo n
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tion and gift-giving time. While al
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7.5 CONCLUSION The aim of this litu
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Chapter two 7. See Howell, A (2001)
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also be either a Christian or a non
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51. Chingondo must have a very sign
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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
Page 173 and 174: chiefs house so that we could light
Page 175 and 176: going round the village they would
Page 177 and 178: all join in ululating and take the
Page 179 and 180: girls, covered all round with cloth
Page 181 and 182: 9. Mkanda de, mkanda wa mkamwa Ndat
Page 183 and 184: I left for the ground when a messag
Page 185 and 186: The girls danced for a while and th
Page 187 and 188: , Many infonnants called mkangali t
Page 189 and 190: Meaning: This is the time to be cou
Page 191 and 192: would punish her in different ways,
Page 193 and 194: Akakwatana. When in marriage. A dra
Page 195 and 196: 58. Ndamvera kwathu, yaya Mwana wan
Page 197 and 198: The Chingondo (Headcrown) Ritual We
Page 199 and 200: frightening them, or punishing them
Page 201 and 202: dancing team. After dancing for a w
Page 203 and 204: They are however, reminded that aft
Page 209 and 210: for a while from norrnallife and pu
Page 211 and 212: Gwiritsani ntchito ndime zalembedwa
Page 213 and 214: Ndi udindo wa alangizi kukonza maph
Page 215 and 216: Machembere ayenera kumawafupa atsik
Page 217 and 218: Anthu onse nkuseka. Ndipo anamkungw
Page 219 and 220: Amayiwo ayenera kusonyeza ntchito y
Page 221: Adzichitira ulemu nyumba ya Mulungu
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FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

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