Mua Mission

As our visit to Malawi wound down we spent our final night, Thurs. Sept 2nd, at Mua Mission. The mission is run by a French order of Roman Catholic priests called the "White Fathers". The name came from the color of their robes and not their skin.

The mission is located in the great rift valley and consists of a church, school, hospital and a surrounding village, all nestled in the side of a mountain. Our rondovals were identified by a mask rather than a room number.

There was also a museum broken down into 3 parts. The first section told the story of how Christianity was introduced in Malawi, starting with the exploration of the region by Dr. David Livingstone, from there the advent of the White Fathers.

The second section of the museum housed beautiful masks, costumes, and artifacts of the 3 primary tribal groups that live in Malawi; the Chewa, Ngoni, and the Yeo, all 3 are Bantu tribes.

And the final section spoke of the history of the 3 primary bantu tribes inhabiting the area. 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.

Another highlight of the mission was the wood carving. 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. They are beautifully done and ridiculously cheap by American standards. How I wish I had more room in my suitcase!