Missions
in Malawi
Christian missionaries made a
lasting impact on Africa. The first Christian missionaries in Malawi were sent
out from the Catholic church. Today, Roman Catholics make up a significant
portion of the Christian population. The first Protestant and the most
well-known missionary to Malawi was David Livingstone. Livingstone was a Scottish
Presbyterian doctor who established the mission later named Livingstonia in his
honor. David Livingstone reached Lake Malawi in 1859 and called the body of
water Lake Nyasa. Nyasa was the word
the Yao people used to refer to the lake. His travels paved the way for
Presbyterian missionary societies to be established in Malawi. It is estimated
that about half of the population of Malawi identify themselves as Protestant
Christian with the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian as the dominant
Protestant denomination in the country. [1]
The second dominant religion, Islam,
was brought to Malawi in the 1500s by Arab traders. The tribe most influenced
by the Arabs was the Yao tribe. Today the majority of the Yao in Malawi are Muslims.
This dichotomy of religion in Malawi, creates a division between the tribes.
When a Muslim Yao man was elected as the President of Malawi in the 1990s,
there was rioting in the streets.
Hinduism is practiced in Malawi
mostly by the 4,000 Indian residents in the country. Hinduism came to Malawi
through the indentured Indian servants during the time of the British
colonization of Malawi. Some Malawians have converted to Islam as a result, but
the numbers are few. Hinduism introduces into Malawian society a
non-monotheistic major world religion, not entirely different from traditional
animistic Malawian beliefs.
Over the past five-hundred years, missionaries’
ins Malawi has been shaping the culture and worldview of the Malawians. In many
ways these major religions introduced to Malawi by missionaries have helped the
Malawians people unify into a country despite the many tribal groups within its
borders.
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