FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

On the mission field not all missionary wives saw themselves only in domestic roles.
Some saw themselves suited to domestic support roles, while others took the responsi­
bility of 'training native women organising, instructing and sending out native women
to do the pioneer work of evangelism' (Tucker 1990:255). So both features were seen
on the mission field. Similarly in Malawi, both elements featured among the missionary
wives. Women like Blanche Wester and Beverly Kingsley, and others, were involved in
vigorous teaching of women and youth as well as training them to organise and lead
their own groups (lnt. B. Wester and B. Kingsley, 14/10/2001). Then there were others
who understood their role as that of domestic support and attending to family (lnt. G.
Scott, 23/10/2001). One missionary leader, Sam Upton (quoted by Banda 2001:40)
affirmed that it was SBC's policy that women were first to be good wives and mothers
and second to support their husbands in ministry.
In addition to Bible study, the missionaries taught women sewing, cooking, and other
home making skills. These activities attracted many women so that by 1961 women's
work in southern and central Malawi had spread and the number of women attending
meetings increased (Banda 2001 and Longwe 2000). The missionary wives' WMU
background gave them impetus to help Malawi women organise into a women's group
at national level with its executive committee. However, its organisation was not neces­
sarily similar to that ofWMU in America. The Malawi women's group did not develop
any girls' programmes except periodic camp meetings for all the youth (lnt. B. King­
sley, 14/10/2001). The missionaries assisted in the arrangement of and the teaching at
the women's annual meetings where leadership training, instruction in homemaking
skills, and other activities were carried OUt. 22 The annual meetings were held at the
Bible School in Lilongwe. Banda (2002:39) points out that although there was much
foreign missionary influence in the women's work, Malawi women were given the
opportunity to 'engage themselves in the work, which they felt to be important and their
engagement took note ofboth culture and the Bible.' This is significant for it shows that
the women had heard the Gospel message in their own language (Chichewa). Thus the
impact ofthe Gospel on the Chewa women and their culture created a new set of ques­
tions on issues that affected their lives. This will be reflected in the discussion about
chilangizo as a Christian response to chinamwali in chapter five. It will be shown that it
was at one annual meeting that the desire for chilangizo was brought up.
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