FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:
FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:
FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:
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Learning games and songs, knitting, sewing, cooking, taking care of babies, and Bible<br />
Study. Lectures were also given by the missionaries and Alangizi, and nurses or doctors<br />
were invited to come and explain to the girls the functions ofwomen's bodies.<br />
(Ross 1996:106)<br />
All the instructions are contained in lesson fonn in a 36-page booklet called Mawu<br />
othandiza Alangizi a m'Sinodi wa Nkhoma CCAP (Guidelines for Instructresses of<br />
Nkhoma Synod CCAP). Since it is a lengthy booklet, only the Table of contents trans<br />
lated in English (with pennission) is attached in Appendix B. 61<br />
5.3 NEED FOR <strong>CHILANGIZO</strong> EXPRESSED IN THE BAPTIST CHURCHES<br />
When the Baptist missionaries arrived in Malawi in the 1960s they found that the earlier<br />
missions were well established in their position with regard to initiation rites. 62 Nkhoma<br />
Mission had now positively responded, and started a Christian initiation ceremony. Did<br />
the Baptist missionaries face similar challenges with regard to traditional customs?<br />
What was their response to the traditional rites?<br />
In section 3.7 above, we discussed the emergence and organisation of the Baptist<br />
women's ministries due to the increasing number ofwomen joining the Baptist denomi<br />
nation. This led to the missionary wives assisting in the organisation ofwomen's annual<br />
meetings for fellowship and instruction. It was at one of the annual meetings that the<br />
women expressed their concern to have chilangizo. According to Gamer (1998:14), the<br />
women raised the question about chilangizo in 1970, almost a decade after receiving the<br />
Gospel message: 'In other churches there are instructresses to instruct their children<br />
about facts of life, kodi ife a Baptist ana athu tiziwalangiza bwanji? (What about us<br />
Baptists, how are we going to instruct our children?)' (Int. Amayi Phiri, 13/7/2001).<br />
Another earlier Malawian leader added that it was because: 'We saw that our friends the<br />
Presbyterians have chilangizo in their church, we too must have something in our<br />
church, for we do not want our girls to be taught unchristian things' (Int. Amayi<br />
Ng'oma, 31/8/2001). Before looking at the missionaries' response to this question, it is<br />
very crucial that we understand the question from the women's perspective as<br />
Malawians and African Christians.<br />
76
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