One of the things we had read about that piqued our interest is the Roman Catholic center called Mua Mission. It isn’t very far on the map from Ntcheu to Mua but there is no direct route – and we have now learned that distance does not always relate to time needed for travel! We are now staying at the home of one of the pastors, our friend, Rev. Smart Msinkhu in the small town of Ntcheu, half way between Lilongwe and Blantyre. Ntcheu is on the western side of the craggy Dedza Mountains and Mua is on the eastern side toward the lake. On Monday, we drove parallel to the mountains as we headed southeast to Balaka. From there we turned back northeast and dropped into the Great Rift Valley. (We noticed a tiny road marked on the map that cut over to Mua, but we did not dare try it.) As we traveled through the very flat land with the mountains to our west and Lake Malawi to our east we once again enjoyed the towering masses of baobab trees, now with a fluffy flush of green on the tops. This gave them a rather comical air, similar to those terra-cotta heads on which you can plant grass seeds for “hair.” But fully leafed out they will make wondrous trees indeed. Everything had a hint of green around the edges… Spring is here!
The Mua Mission is a large complex, consisting of a beautiful church and cloister, a school, hospital and a surrounding village, all nestled up the side of the mountain. They also have charming well equipped rondovals to house up to 20 overnight guests. The Mission is also the home of the KuNgoni Centre of Culture and Art. This is what we were after. The Centre is a truly remarkable place. It was established in the 1970’s by one of the fathers at the mission as an effort to research, record and preserve Malawian culture. It includes a museum, a lovely botanical garden, a wood carving center, a research center and library and cultural courses as well as traditional dances at certain times. The gardens and beautifully frescoed buildings make this an idyllic place. Mua Mission and KuNgoni are run by a French order of Roman Catholic priests called the “White Fathers.” The name came from the color of their robes, not the color of their skin!
The museum is a visual feast in three parts. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside. The first section tells the story of Christianity being introduced to Malawi, starting with the exploration of the region by Dr. David Livingstone. From there they tell to story of the Roman Catholic arrival into the area and the advent of the White Fathers. There are now Africans who have become White Fathers.
The other parts of the museum were the most interesting to us. With detailed photographic displays as well as fabulous actual masks, costumes, artifacts and characters, the history and culture of the three primary tribal groups that live in Malawi – the Chewa, Ngoni, and the Yao was depicted. We also had an excellent guide who explained the information in detail. All three groups are Bantu tribes. The Chewa and the Ngoni came into the area less than 150 years ago after fleeing the KwaZulu area of Natal, South Africa. The Yao settled in the south and around the lake and were heavily influenced by the Muslim traders there. They converted to Islam and sold their African brothers to slave traders in the Middle East until the British took over the area and stopped the slave trade. And in current day Malawi, most Muslims are of Yao descent. We felt like we had a much better understanding of Malawi culture after the hour-long tour through the exhibits along with the lecture.
The day we were at Mua a group of about 15 people from the American Embassy staff were starting a three-day orientation on Malawi Culture at the Center. We were able to chat briefly with the Public Affairs officer and the Economic Development officer whom we met with a week earlier in Lilongwe. Small world, isn’t it.
Another highlight of the day was the wood carving. We were able to watch three of the carvers at work and talk to them. In 1976 a priest decided to develop this indigenous craft to make a difference in the economic condition of the area. A large group of craftsmen are now able to support their families through the sale of their work done through Mua Mission. Many of the carvings seen in Lilongwe come from Mua but they cost much less at the mission. If we had lots of money and extra space in the suitcases, we could have purchased many more things to bring home. They are beautifully done and ridiculously cheap by American standards.
What a marvelous little gem to find tucked in this remote area…maybe next time we will come and stay in one of the rondovals. Maybe we will see Nicholas, one of the woodcarvers we visited. But in the meantime we will enjoy the beautiful carving he crafted of the Holy Family enveloped in a stylized ear of maize. What could be more appropriate than the “Mother Food” of Malawi…sustaining life for all.
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