A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MAKING OF A MUSIC MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH OF CENTRAL AFRICA PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD OF BLANTYRE
The CCAP Prison Choir in the recording studio on Blantyre Mission
THE FIRST TASK OF THE MISSIONARIES TRANSLATIONS
Before the arrival of the Rev. Dr. David Clement Scott, the first minister of the divine word in the 1890s, the Rev. Dr. Robert Laws from Livingstonia had been administering the sacraments at Blantyre. This was prior to Blantyre becoming a prayer house congregation in the presbyterian Church of Scotland. Duff McDonald is to be noted for his noble tasks, including music. He made some translations into the Yao language for the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles creed, which have been placed in the church at Domasi and in the cathedral of St. Michael and All Angels - and are here up to the present day. The first local language used in church was Yao, which Duff McDonald learned as quickly as he could in order to do his job well. As the years went on other Christian denominations were introduced into Malawi, the then Nyasaland, part of British Central Africa. They were in constant contact with MacDonald's work for the translations available (including the bible) for easy communication and church growth. After the time of Rev. Dr. David Clement Scott, the other denominations were growing and it was known that the past popular Yao language could never be a national language as had previously been thought. This led to the formation of the consultative board of federal missions in the year 1910. Indeed the missionaries at Blantyre were on the lead. The purpose was two fold:
• Joint action in the mission strategy
• Joint action in the Christian Music Translations up to the year 1962.
By this year 1962, the consultative board of missions became "the fellowship of Christian churches in Malawi" up to the year 1967. In the year 1968, the Christian literature association in Malawi was born. Up until then, all the reformed churches, apart from the Seventh Day Adventists, were working together including on the production of a hymnbook of praise. It should be noted that the first hymnbook for and by Blantyre synod alone was "Nyimbo sya Mulungu Mchiyao" then later Nyimbo za Mulungu zolembedwa mchinyanja before the birth of CLAIM (Christian Literature Association In Malawi). After the birth of CLAIM, the two documents gave way to "Nyimbo za Mulungu" zolembedwa mchichewa. The Synod of Blantyre though satisfied with the Chichewa hymnbook of praise, was in a major need for the reproduction of the Yao hymnbook, which was never a task by CLAIM at all.
THE REV WILLIAM HENDERSON PEMBELEKA (a notable first musician in the Blantyre Synod)
As we introduce the cleric musician named above, it should be noted that there has never been any denomination in Malawi that had introduced a Music Department. In the Blantyre Synod, a need for the reproduction of a Yao hymnbook was expressed at GAC and Synod meetings. Yet the available wonderful publications of Yao hymn books were never used for public worship in the congregations apart from Domasi, Somba and perhaps Msondole congregations only. The idea of a Music Department was never there at all. The Rev. Pembeleka ordained in 1944 together with the Revs F.S. Chintali, M. Matanda and W. Kalimbuka were the first African cleric in the Blantyre Synod who loved music so much. He learnt and sung all the Yao hymns through tonic solfa notation. Rev. Pembeleka mobilised the Synod through music as he conducted most of the singing in the Presbytery, Synod, and General Synod meetings. One of his most favourite tunes was from the old Yao hymn no 320 in the new one the number is 28. It reads:
Mjendege mbuje mhendepe
Osana nweji kuyape
Mtuleleje mwitalamo
Tuntendele luchimbi lwo
We can translate slightly as:Lord go on leading the way
Osana we will ever follow you
Please take care of us on the way
We will ever glorify your name
Those other Ministers who expressed a need for the reproduction of the Yao hymns are the Revs. Sangaya, Chintali, Chikwesele, Lamya, Sani and Ndalama. This need was expressed strongly in the year 1976 when the need for the Yao hymn book was expressed for the inauguration of a Music Department up to the year 1979 when the Rev. Sangaya the first African General Secretary of Blantyre Synod die in July. Up to here, it should be noted that Rev Pembelekas love for music particularly inspired the Blantyre Synod towards the establishment of a Music department. The question remaining was: How, when, where and who could introduce this noble task, for the advancement of Christ's kingdom on earth in the holy call of the Synod of Blantyre.
FACTORS LEADING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MUSIC DEPARTMENT IN THE CCAP BLANTYRE SYNOD
Up until the year 1979, no clergyman in the Blantyre Synod had learnt any music precisely at all. Ministers who loved music locally could be remembered as the Revs. Pembeleka, Kapolo and Sangaya. They conducted worship in all their congregational services. In most congregations music literacy was poor. The number of choir groups never reached 10 compared with the present over 500 choir groups. The maximum number of members of these per group was 6-8 apart from the positive notable ones from four congregations in the Blantyre city. These could be medical and gospel from St Columba, mobile from St Michael and All Angels, Zomba Church Choir from Zomba congregation and Come Back to God from the Limbe congregation. Other choir groups might have existed, but those well known at that time were these mentioned here. Local drums and guitars were prohibited for choir use, dancing or movement of the body when singing in any form was not allowed. This included the clapping of hands to applaud any choir performance as this was regarded as not giving all the glory to God.
Like the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia earlier, the Blantyre Synod had hymnbooks of praise in full tonic solfa literature. The first one was "Nyimbo za Mulungu zolembedwa mchinyanja", and the second one was "zolembedwa mchinyanja ndi mchiyao. Yet in all the congregations the singing was free from any tonic solfa literature arrangement taste. There were choir groups with men and several women members and / or men's groups where women choir groups were not found or allowed. There was no single choir group that performed outside Malawi up to the year 1979, tough only choir groups from Zimbabwe, city of Harare congregations visited Malawian congregations in the Blantyre city congregations. In fact members of these foreign groups were mostly Malawians working in Harare and some in Bulawayo.
Travelling choir groups that were also social in nature were not welcomed by adults and youth until the year 1983 when the Music Department was established. It should also be noted that no "Hallelujah. Amen" was allowed in church address response in any circumstances. A lot could be said, but what is important to note is: congregational worship was accordingly poor and without direction towards a meaningful church growth. Church membership grew, as did a growth in pledge payments in all areas of the Synod in the era of the Music Department, as we shall see later. More recently the pentecostal style of worship, which is accompanied by chorus singing, dancing and free church addresses bringing congregational responses are a major element that has shaped the style of church worship as it looks today, here and now. The era of Rev. Dr. Chimphangwi's rising to the General Secretaryship was the long awaited time for church revival as often shouted by the Rev. C. Nkunga, the only oldest minister who instigated the Synod to begin think of ordaining women in the 1970s. Though the era of the Rev. Chimphangwi as General Secretary could be referred as a period of great challenges in the Blantyre Synod, it is through him and his administration that the Music Department was born, accompanied by many modern challenges that were never met before.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF CANADA, THE BLANTYRE SYNOD'S PARTNER FOR THE BRITH OF THE MUSIC DEPTARTMENT
By the year 1968 a partnership was established between the CCAP Synod of Blantyre and the Presbyterian Church in Canada. This resulted with the inauguration of the Youth Department. Rev. Brian Crossly was the first warden at Likhubula House. Indeed he was Canada's first missionary every sent to Malawi through the Blantyre Synod. In the year 1969, the Rev. Dr. S. Ncozana was appointed; the Youth Department was regarded as part of the synod. Groups like the CCU (Chiyanjano Cha Ukhristu) most of whose members were over 45 years of age, were regarded groups constituting of the Youth Fellowships within the Blantyre Synod.
In later years, particularly when Rev Dr. Chimphangwi was elected General Secretary in the year 1980, it was becoming clear that music is a separate division and ministry, unlike the youth departments, although the ministers could both use the youth and/or adults as well.
In 1980 Blantyre Synod made progress to legitimise the establishment of a Music Department alongside with that of the Youth Department. Six points are remembered that constituted a mandate for the new Music Department. These were:
• To install in the youth a sense of ownership in the church and to mobilise them for full time participation in the edification of Christ's kingdom on earth.
• To make and adopt new or old compositions from within and without for transmission to and in all the congregations of the Blantyre Synod.
• The choir groups could use local drums and other related local instruments, thereby moving the Christian church in Africa towards valuing and restoring African oriented church worship.
• To perform and facilitate open-air evangelistic church campaign services for growth and development.
• The choir groups to work as a catalyst for the promotion of church unity in all the CCAP Synods and other denominations from within and outside Malawi. This could be done in all other church and ecumenical gatherings.
• To store in the music all languages used by the church. Thereby valuing the African cultural and traditional heritage and flavouring national and continental African identify within the Christian church in Africa for all future generations.
After this the Blantyre Synod wrote to the Presbyterian Church in Canada requesting her assistance for Blantyre Synod in establishing a Music Department.
MISS CLARA ELLEN HENDERSON (ANAPHIRI) PCC's FIRST MUSIC COORDINATOR TO THE CCAP SYNOD OF BLANTYRE The long awaited time for action had now come. Blantyre Synod made a formal humble request for the Presbyterian Church in Canada to assist the Young African Church by establishing a Music Department. Accordingly, four items were the Synods request expressed as an immediate need before the Canadians. These were: a musician, a car, a piano and a cassette recorder.Accordingly, the Canadian Presbyterians made a favourable response in the year 1981. All the items requested could be sent to Malawi the following year. The Blantyre Synod was however asked to identify local music lovers, though not properly trained, to work with the Canadian musician, so that in future one African synod musician could be identified to take over from her. Without any delay or procrastination, four clergymen were identified. These were Revs. Kapenda, Kapolo, Ngwale and Sani. By this year 1981, five presbyteries constituted Blantyre synod. Those Presbyteries were: Blantyre, Domasi, Livilidzi, Mulanje and Zomba and together they covered the whole Southern Region of Malawi.
The year 1982 saw the arrival of now popular name (Anaphiri) Miss Clara Ellen Henderson. The remaining part of the year was used for her preparations for the said noble task at Blantyre Mission. Accordingly, the Music Department was now established in the year 1983. Henderson was appointed Synod Music Director, while Rev. Ngwale was appointed her assistant. Revs. Kapenda, Kapolo and Sani were the three other personnel who constituted a squad of five musicians for the music ministry. Programs that were initiated were focused on three major areas, per the need for immediate action at that time. These were:
• Music workshops for choir members (men, women and youth) in all the five presbyteries.
• Music workshops for Choir Directors (for men, women and youth choir groups) in all the five Presbyteries.
• Music workshops for church presenters in all the five presbyteries.
By 1984, music directors were appointed in all the said five presbyteries: Blantyre, Domasi, Livilidzi, Mulanje and Zomba. The programs were limited by the availability of funds, usually from Canada and Clara Henderson's budget. No allowances were offered to the African clerical musicians. In the same year 1984, Synod Music Festivals were introduced for Youth Choir groups only, since women choir groups never became popular enough to participate in an event of that nature.
Within a short period of time the number of choir groups erupted to over 150 by 1986. The need for music training to the African musicians became ever more important. Rev. Ngwale was sent to short music courses at Daystar (Nairobi, Kenya) and Bossey (Geneva, Switzerland) in 1986 and 1990 respectively. In 1986, the Synod of Blantyre appointed Rev. Harry L. Ngwale as the first black Synod Music Director after Miss Henderson (who become a music consultant).
Work still went on. Rev. Ngwale's ladies choir group known as Uthenga Choristers made four important visitations outside Malawi. They were to Dr. David Livingstone's dying place at Chitambo village in Zambia where his heart was buried on 1st May 1873, to Dr. David Clement Scotts grave at Kikuyu, Nairobi, Kenya, to Luaushya, Zambia, a place where a plane carrying Dag Hammarsjoeld, the first and wisest secretary of the United Nations, was crushed. He died in 1960 at age 61 after having solved some crisis in the Congo (Tshombe and Lumumba) and was on his way to meet Sir Roy Welensky in Salisbury Southern, Rhodesia by them and Zambia's Independence Stadium, where there are up to about 25 graves of the football players in the Kenneth Kaunda who died by a plane crush on the Atlantic Ocean on the way to Leopold Ville.
Up to now and here, there was no black graduate trained musician in the Blantyre Synod. Hence an out-cry within the Synod.
A LEAGUE OF NEWLY WELL-LEARNED ADVANCED MUSICIANS IN BLANTYRE
As we continue narrating this music story, it should be sadly noted that these three ministers who joined the musical squad accompanying Miss Henderson in 1983 are now all dead by this date of 5th December 2011. They are :Revs. Kapenda, Kapolo and Rev. Sani. May their souls rest in everlasting and eternal peace. In the dying years of Rev. Ngwale's Music Directorship, it is nice to note that those who took over from him are more highly trained than him. This is highly inspiring for the Glory of God in Christ, and peace to all those who love Him. Indeed as the music ministry grew up, and as women choir groups grew up, the Blantyre Synod was kind enough to employ another lady musician Miss Margaret Njelema who is now known as Mrs. Margaret Kamkwamba, a mother of three.
Below is a list the said graduate musicians: - Rev. M.N. Songola 2000-2002 (B.A) 2003 Honours Mrs. Kamkwamba 2000-2002 (B.A) Rev. H.F. Mbeza 2003- 2005 (B.A) 2006 Honours Rev. L. Kadango 2004-2006 (B.A) 2009 Honours, 2010 Ð 2011 Masters
In December 2005, the Rev. Songola, a Forthare graduate took over from the Rev. Ngwale as a third Music Director from the time of Miss Henderson, but to be precise a second Music Director next to the Rev. Ngwale.
The Blantyre Synod is by now accommodating up to over 500-1000 choir groups, well advanced in Music performance, unlike 4-20 choir groups by the year 1979.
In May 2009 the Rev. Mbeza took over from the Rev. Songola as Music Director. Mrs. Kamkwamba has been operating as an assistant Music Director since her employment in 1996.
By now the Music Department is full of sophisticated musical equipment and even a recording studio.
Long live the Music Department!!
Long live the CCAP Blantyre Synod!!
Long live the CCAP General Assembly!!
PRAISE THE LORD!!! HALLELUJAH. AMEN
Before the arrival of the Rev. Dr. David Clement Scott, the first minister of the divine word in the 1890s, the Rev. Dr. Robert Laws from Livingstonia had been administering the sacraments at Blantyre. This was prior to Blantyre becoming a prayer house congregation in the presbyterian Church of Scotland. Duff McDonald is to be noted for his noble tasks, including music. He made some translations into the Yao language for the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles creed, which have been placed in the church at Domasi and in the cathedral of St. Michael and All Angels - and are here up to the present day. The first local language used in church was Yao, which Duff McDonald learned as quickly as he could in order to do his job well. As the years went on other Christian denominations were introduced into Malawi, the then Nyasaland, part of British Central Africa. They were in constant contact with MacDonald's work for the translations available (including the bible) for easy communication and church growth. After the time of Rev. Dr. David Clement Scott, the other denominations were growing and it was known that the past popular Yao language could never be a national language as had previously been thought. This led to the formation of the consultative board of federal missions in the year 1910. Indeed the missionaries at Blantyre were on the lead. The purpose was two fold:
• Joint action in the mission strategy
• Joint action in the Christian Music Translations up to the year 1962.
By this year 1962, the consultative board of missions became "the fellowship of Christian churches in Malawi" up to the year 1967. In the year 1968, the Christian literature association in Malawi was born. Up until then, all the reformed churches, apart from the Seventh Day Adventists, were working together including on the production of a hymnbook of praise. It should be noted that the first hymnbook for and by Blantyre synod alone was "Nyimbo sya Mulungu Mchiyao" then later Nyimbo za Mulungu zolembedwa mchinyanja before the birth of CLAIM (Christian Literature Association In Malawi). After the birth of CLAIM, the two documents gave way to "Nyimbo za Mulungu" zolembedwa mchichewa. The Synod of Blantyre though satisfied with the Chichewa hymnbook of praise, was in a major need for the reproduction of the Yao hymnbook, which was never a task by CLAIM at all.
THE REV WILLIAM HENDERSON PEMBELEKA (a notable first musician in the Blantyre Synod)
As we introduce the cleric musician named above, it should be noted that there has never been any denomination in Malawi that had introduced a Music Department. In the Blantyre Synod, a need for the reproduction of a Yao hymnbook was expressed at GAC and Synod meetings. Yet the available wonderful publications of Yao hymn books were never used for public worship in the congregations apart from Domasi, Somba and perhaps Msondole congregations only. The idea of a Music Department was never there at all. The Rev. Pembeleka ordained in 1944 together with the Revs F.S. Chintali, M. Matanda and W. Kalimbuka were the first African cleric in the Blantyre Synod who loved music so much. He learnt and sung all the Yao hymns through tonic solfa notation. Rev. Pembeleka mobilised the Synod through music as he conducted most of the singing in the Presbytery, Synod, and General Synod meetings. One of his most favourite tunes was from the old Yao hymn no 320 in the new one the number is 28. It reads:
Mjendege mbuje mhendepe
Osana nweji kuyape
Mtuleleje mwitalamo
Tuntendele luchimbi lwo
We can translate slightly as:Lord go on leading the way
Osana we will ever follow you
Please take care of us on the way
We will ever glorify your name
Those other Ministers who expressed a need for the reproduction of the Yao hymns are the Revs. Sangaya, Chintali, Chikwesele, Lamya, Sani and Ndalama. This need was expressed strongly in the year 1976 when the need for the Yao hymn book was expressed for the inauguration of a Music Department up to the year 1979 when the Rev. Sangaya the first African General Secretary of Blantyre Synod die in July. Up to here, it should be noted that Rev Pembelekas love for music particularly inspired the Blantyre Synod towards the establishment of a Music department. The question remaining was: How, when, where and who could introduce this noble task, for the advancement of Christ's kingdom on earth in the holy call of the Synod of Blantyre.
FACTORS LEADING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MUSIC DEPARTMENT IN THE CCAP BLANTYRE SYNOD
Up until the year 1979, no clergyman in the Blantyre Synod had learnt any music precisely at all. Ministers who loved music locally could be remembered as the Revs. Pembeleka, Kapolo and Sangaya. They conducted worship in all their congregational services. In most congregations music literacy was poor. The number of choir groups never reached 10 compared with the present over 500 choir groups. The maximum number of members of these per group was 6-8 apart from the positive notable ones from four congregations in the Blantyre city. These could be medical and gospel from St Columba, mobile from St Michael and All Angels, Zomba Church Choir from Zomba congregation and Come Back to God from the Limbe congregation. Other choir groups might have existed, but those well known at that time were these mentioned here. Local drums and guitars were prohibited for choir use, dancing or movement of the body when singing in any form was not allowed. This included the clapping of hands to applaud any choir performance as this was regarded as not giving all the glory to God.
Like the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia earlier, the Blantyre Synod had hymnbooks of praise in full tonic solfa literature. The first one was "Nyimbo za Mulungu zolembedwa mchinyanja", and the second one was "zolembedwa mchinyanja ndi mchiyao. Yet in all the congregations the singing was free from any tonic solfa literature arrangement taste. There were choir groups with men and several women members and / or men's groups where women choir groups were not found or allowed. There was no single choir group that performed outside Malawi up to the year 1979, tough only choir groups from Zimbabwe, city of Harare congregations visited Malawian congregations in the Blantyre city congregations. In fact members of these foreign groups were mostly Malawians working in Harare and some in Bulawayo.
Travelling choir groups that were also social in nature were not welcomed by adults and youth until the year 1983 when the Music Department was established. It should also be noted that no "Hallelujah. Amen" was allowed in church address response in any circumstances. A lot could be said, but what is important to note is: congregational worship was accordingly poor and without direction towards a meaningful church growth. Church membership grew, as did a growth in pledge payments in all areas of the Synod in the era of the Music Department, as we shall see later. More recently the pentecostal style of worship, which is accompanied by chorus singing, dancing and free church addresses bringing congregational responses are a major element that has shaped the style of church worship as it looks today, here and now. The era of Rev. Dr. Chimphangwi's rising to the General Secretaryship was the long awaited time for church revival as often shouted by the Rev. C. Nkunga, the only oldest minister who instigated the Synod to begin think of ordaining women in the 1970s. Though the era of the Rev. Chimphangwi as General Secretary could be referred as a period of great challenges in the Blantyre Synod, it is through him and his administration that the Music Department was born, accompanied by many modern challenges that were never met before.
THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF CANADA, THE BLANTYRE SYNOD'S PARTNER FOR THE BRITH OF THE MUSIC DEPTARTMENT
By the year 1968 a partnership was established between the CCAP Synod of Blantyre and the Presbyterian Church in Canada. This resulted with the inauguration of the Youth Department. Rev. Brian Crossly was the first warden at Likhubula House. Indeed he was Canada's first missionary every sent to Malawi through the Blantyre Synod. In the year 1969, the Rev. Dr. S. Ncozana was appointed; the Youth Department was regarded as part of the synod. Groups like the CCU (Chiyanjano Cha Ukhristu) most of whose members were over 45 years of age, were regarded groups constituting of the Youth Fellowships within the Blantyre Synod.
In later years, particularly when Rev Dr. Chimphangwi was elected General Secretary in the year 1980, it was becoming clear that music is a separate division and ministry, unlike the youth departments, although the ministers could both use the youth and/or adults as well.
In 1980 Blantyre Synod made progress to legitimise the establishment of a Music Department alongside with that of the Youth Department. Six points are remembered that constituted a mandate for the new Music Department. These were:
• To install in the youth a sense of ownership in the church and to mobilise them for full time participation in the edification of Christ's kingdom on earth.
• To make and adopt new or old compositions from within and without for transmission to and in all the congregations of the Blantyre Synod.
• The choir groups could use local drums and other related local instruments, thereby moving the Christian church in Africa towards valuing and restoring African oriented church worship.
• To perform and facilitate open-air evangelistic church campaign services for growth and development.
• The choir groups to work as a catalyst for the promotion of church unity in all the CCAP Synods and other denominations from within and outside Malawi. This could be done in all other church and ecumenical gatherings.
• To store in the music all languages used by the church. Thereby valuing the African cultural and traditional heritage and flavouring national and continental African identify within the Christian church in Africa for all future generations.
After this the Blantyre Synod wrote to the Presbyterian Church in Canada requesting her assistance for Blantyre Synod in establishing a Music Department.
MISS CLARA ELLEN HENDERSON (ANAPHIRI) PCC's FIRST MUSIC COORDINATOR TO THE CCAP SYNOD OF BLANTYRE The long awaited time for action had now come. Blantyre Synod made a formal humble request for the Presbyterian Church in Canada to assist the Young African Church by establishing a Music Department. Accordingly, four items were the Synods request expressed as an immediate need before the Canadians. These were: a musician, a car, a piano and a cassette recorder.Accordingly, the Canadian Presbyterians made a favourable response in the year 1981. All the items requested could be sent to Malawi the following year. The Blantyre Synod was however asked to identify local music lovers, though not properly trained, to work with the Canadian musician, so that in future one African synod musician could be identified to take over from her. Without any delay or procrastination, four clergymen were identified. These were Revs. Kapenda, Kapolo, Ngwale and Sani. By this year 1981, five presbyteries constituted Blantyre synod. Those Presbyteries were: Blantyre, Domasi, Livilidzi, Mulanje and Zomba and together they covered the whole Southern Region of Malawi.
The year 1982 saw the arrival of now popular name (Anaphiri) Miss Clara Ellen Henderson. The remaining part of the year was used for her preparations for the said noble task at Blantyre Mission. Accordingly, the Music Department was now established in the year 1983. Henderson was appointed Synod Music Director, while Rev. Ngwale was appointed her assistant. Revs. Kapenda, Kapolo and Sani were the three other personnel who constituted a squad of five musicians for the music ministry. Programs that were initiated were focused on three major areas, per the need for immediate action at that time. These were:
• Music workshops for choir members (men, women and youth) in all the five presbyteries.
• Music workshops for Choir Directors (for men, women and youth choir groups) in all the five Presbyteries.
• Music workshops for church presenters in all the five presbyteries.
By 1984, music directors were appointed in all the said five presbyteries: Blantyre, Domasi, Livilidzi, Mulanje and Zomba. The programs were limited by the availability of funds, usually from Canada and Clara Henderson's budget. No allowances were offered to the African clerical musicians. In the same year 1984, Synod Music Festivals were introduced for Youth Choir groups only, since women choir groups never became popular enough to participate in an event of that nature.
Within a short period of time the number of choir groups erupted to over 150 by 1986. The need for music training to the African musicians became ever more important. Rev. Ngwale was sent to short music courses at Daystar (Nairobi, Kenya) and Bossey (Geneva, Switzerland) in 1986 and 1990 respectively. In 1986, the Synod of Blantyre appointed Rev. Harry L. Ngwale as the first black Synod Music Director after Miss Henderson (who become a music consultant).
Work still went on. Rev. Ngwale's ladies choir group known as Uthenga Choristers made four important visitations outside Malawi. They were to Dr. David Livingstone's dying place at Chitambo village in Zambia where his heart was buried on 1st May 1873, to Dr. David Clement Scotts grave at Kikuyu, Nairobi, Kenya, to Luaushya, Zambia, a place where a plane carrying Dag Hammarsjoeld, the first and wisest secretary of the United Nations, was crushed. He died in 1960 at age 61 after having solved some crisis in the Congo (Tshombe and Lumumba) and was on his way to meet Sir Roy Welensky in Salisbury Southern, Rhodesia by them and Zambia's Independence Stadium, where there are up to about 25 graves of the football players in the Kenneth Kaunda who died by a plane crush on the Atlantic Ocean on the way to Leopold Ville.
Up to now and here, there was no black graduate trained musician in the Blantyre Synod. Hence an out-cry within the Synod.
A LEAGUE OF NEWLY WELL-LEARNED ADVANCED MUSICIANS IN BLANTYRE
As we continue narrating this music story, it should be sadly noted that these three ministers who joined the musical squad accompanying Miss Henderson in 1983 are now all dead by this date of 5th December 2011. They are :Revs. Kapenda, Kapolo and Rev. Sani. May their souls rest in everlasting and eternal peace. In the dying years of Rev. Ngwale's Music Directorship, it is nice to note that those who took over from him are more highly trained than him. This is highly inspiring for the Glory of God in Christ, and peace to all those who love Him. Indeed as the music ministry grew up, and as women choir groups grew up, the Blantyre Synod was kind enough to employ another lady musician Miss Margaret Njelema who is now known as Mrs. Margaret Kamkwamba, a mother of three.
Below is a list the said graduate musicians: - Rev. M.N. Songola 2000-2002 (B.A) 2003 Honours Mrs. Kamkwamba 2000-2002 (B.A) Rev. H.F. Mbeza 2003- 2005 (B.A) 2006 Honours Rev. L. Kadango 2004-2006 (B.A) 2009 Honours, 2010 Ð 2011 Masters
In December 2005, the Rev. Songola, a Forthare graduate took over from the Rev. Ngwale as a third Music Director from the time of Miss Henderson, but to be precise a second Music Director next to the Rev. Ngwale.
The Blantyre Synod is by now accommodating up to over 500-1000 choir groups, well advanced in Music performance, unlike 4-20 choir groups by the year 1979.
In May 2009 the Rev. Mbeza took over from the Rev. Songola as Music Director. Mrs. Kamkwamba has been operating as an assistant Music Director since her employment in 1996.
By now the Music Department is full of sophisticated musical equipment and even a recording studio.
Long live the Music Department!!
Long live the CCAP Blantyre Synod!!
Long live the CCAP General Assembly!!
PRAISE THE LORD!!! HALLELUJAH. AMEN
