The missionaries who brought the Gospel to the land now called Malawi were, for the most part, deeply devoted men and women who sincerely desired to serve both God and humanity. Many of them endured tremendous hardships in order to establish stations in unfamiliar territory. They introduced schools, hospitals, roads, printing presses, and practical skills that transformed countless communities. In many respects, their contribution to the social and spiritual development of the country was immense and deserves genuine acknowledgement.
Yet there was one area in which a considerable number of the missionaries failed rather badly: race relations. Perhaps the challenge arose from the vast cultural gulf that existed between the European missionaries and the African people amongst whom they lived. Customs, assumptions, and worldviews were profoundly different. Even so, one cannot escape the conclusion that many situations could have been handled with greater wisdom, humility, and fairness.
One striking example was the reluctance of white missionaries to ordain African ministers. Yesaya Zerenje Mwase, for instance, studied theology at the Overtoun Institute, established in the northern region by missionaries from the Free Church of Scotland. Although he completed his training in 1903, he was not ordained until 1914. Even after finally entering the ministry, his relationship with his white superiors remained strained. The tension eventually led him to break away from the church in 1933 and establish an independent denomination known as the Blackman’s Church. In later years, it became the Church of Africa, Presbyterian, commonly known as CAP, which still exists today. The well-known Great Angels Choir belongs to that church.
The missionaries of the Dutch Reformed Church were not entirely free from racial prejudice either. African church leaders, including pastors, were forbidden to wear shoes. They could dress neatly in jackets and trousers, yet they were expected to walk barefoot while carrying out their duties. Such regulations may appear absurd today, but they reveal the attitudes that prevailed at the time.
While growing up at Nkhoma Mission, I gradually became aware of certain unspoken expectations from some of our white counterparts. There were places where black people simply did not feel welcome. One such place was the boarding school reserved exclusively for white children. During my eleven years at Nkhoma, from 1968 onwards, I never once set foot inside that institution.
Years later, however, the school was converted into a lodge. I recently spent two nights there and experienced a curious sense of liberation, knowing that I could finally enter a place that had once seemed forbidden to Africans. Staying there at the same time were several young German medical students who had come to gain experience in an African medical setting. We interacted warmly as they asked thoughtful questions about Malawian life, customs, and traditions, and I answered as best I could. The atmosphere was refreshingly different from the racial tensions of earlier decades.
The early leadership at Blantyre Mission was also stained by controversy regarding the mistreatment of local people. The mission had been established in 1876 by Henry Henderson and Tom Bokwito, though the latter, being African, is rarely given the recognition he deserves in historical accounts. Other missionaries later joined the station, among them Alexander Hetherwick.
The first ordained leader of Blantyre Mission was Rev Duff MacDonald. During his leadership, the mission assumed responsibility for administering civil justice over surrounding communities. Credible reports indicate that this authority was sometimes exercised harshly and abusively. One local man reportedly died while being flogged.
Reports of such brutality eventually compelled the Church of Scotland to appoint a commission of enquiry. Following the investigation, Rev MacDonald and several other missionaries were removed from Blantyre Mission in 1881. He was succeeded by Rev Clement David Scott, remembered today as the builder of the magnificent St Michael and All Angels Church.
Whenever one race believes itself inherently superior to another, poisoned relationships are almost inevitable. If missionaries succumbed to such attitudes, conditions in the secular world were undoubtedly worse. It is against this background that the reactions of figures such as John Chilembwe and John Kufa must be understood.
We, too, must search within our own hearts carefully. Do we secretly regard ourselves as better than those around us? Unless we answer that question honestly, strained relationships and needless conflict will continue to trouble human society.
History is valuable not merely because it tells us where we have come from, but because it exposes weaknesses that still linger beneath the surface of modern society. The lessons of missionary Malawi should therefore challenge every generation to pursue dignity, mutual respect, and fellowship across racial, cultural, and social boundaries, rather than repeating the mistakes of the past.