FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

denced in the physical changes that take place as the body grows. This implies that it is
God's way for the women to have children. Menstruation therefore is a sign that the girl
is now mature and ready to have a child when she has sexual relations. In view of the
fact that she is not married the girl must remain chaste until she is married. The alangizi
should teach her not to engage in premarital sex for the consequences of sin can bring
grief to the parents as well as to the girl herself for she can have fatherless children,
and/or can contract venereal diseases like syphilis or gonorrhoea, but also HIV/AIDS.
They ought also to instruct the girl to take care of her body and her clothes, especially
during her menses. The girl must be of good behaviour and show respect for the chief,
the parents, and the elders, as well as being obedient and hard working. Since the girl is
now an adult she should stop playing with children.
The alangizi should teach the girl about her attitude towards God which includes:
keeping the Sabbath; respecting God's house; not to swear; not to use God's name in
vain; and to avoid things such as lying, stealing and fighting. The alangizi are forbidden
to teach anything that is not compatible with the Word of God such as taboos on mdulo,
for it has no power to hann anyone. They need also to instruct the parents on the impli­
cations ofmarrying offtheir daughters at an early age. A few Scripture verses have been
given to support the teaching (see Appendix C or D).
5.7 CONCLUSION
We have seen that because the DRC Mission was the first to come in contact with the
Chewa people of Lilongwe, the Mission struggled in its response to the Chewa tradi­
tional practices, especially chinamwali, and moved from a condemnatory response to an
attitude of acceptance. Historical developments have shown that the Baptist policy,
coming almost a hundred years later, adopted the Presbyterian version ofchilangizo into
the Baptist response to the Baptist need for a Christian chinamwali. Thus the Baptist
response to chinamwali is a booklet containing infonnation on the choice and qualifica­
tions of alangizi. Their role is that of making converts of the girls and instructing them
upon puberty, marriage, first pregnancy, and the birth of the first baby. As a Christian
chinamwali in the place of the traditional one a few scriptural verses are given to sup-
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