Why he’s the most popular saint in town! He is to be found as the patron of many a church nationwide!
Malawi is quite the religious country. One must belong to an organized religion, preferably Christian, unless you are among the 15% of Muslims who primarily populate the southern part of the country. One notable concentration of Muslims lives in Zomba and several surrounding districts where I spend quite a bit of time.
In this country, there can never be a mosque without it’s Christian church counterpart located within 100 meters. However, in Zomba and environs, it is the reverse: there can never be a church without it’s associated mosque. The predominant religion in any area is expressed by an intriguing mix of old (remember construction is with mud brick and anything that survives a few rainy seasons may safely be considered old) and new dominant houses of worship, punctuated by the occasional minority religion house of worship in close proximity to its dominant cousin.
Interestingly, the Bishop of Malawi’s main, and may I say extensive and elaborate, residence is located in Mangochi—the heart of Islam in Malawi (as is a rather large seminary, which is situated on the only hill in the region that overlooks Lake Malawi). The grand and elegant central mosque, meanwhile, is located in downtown Lilongwe in central Malawi, where many fewer Muslims reside. Just an observation.
Then there is the story of the Black Missionaries—Malawi’s answer to Bob Marley—and beloved by Christians and Muslims alike since they are the ONLY famous band in Malawi. It seems that the lead singer died in prison several years ago, though the successful (and very hardworking, two shows nightly every weekend that I’ve been here) band has somehow managed to survive without the charismatic leader.
What did this great man die of? Never a straight answer on that one, but TB has been mentioned more than once, so that’s my story and I’m sticking with it. What is he famous for (other than his music and the fact that he died in prison)? He is deemed by many to be a political martyr because of the prison manifesto he wrote condemning the former president for favoritism towards Muslims. (Mercy me, there were even rumors of al-Queda involvement, but I think the addition of this information to the legend is of quite recent origin.)
Hmm, not all peace and harmony here in south central Africa as I had originally supposed. What? What is that you ask? Why was he in prison in the first place? Oh, that little detail. Here lack of clarity prevails and speculation is not random. His strongest followers—all heavy marijuana smokers, a plentiful and widely used substance blind to religious beliefs—insist it was political persecution. However, drug offenses being what they are world wide (and Malawi is no exception) I have my suspicions.
But back to my original thesis: Who is St. Montfort? Ask a typical Malawian and the answer will be ‘Oh, you know, there’s St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Joseph, St. Montfort...’ I always wondered who that quiet guy off to the side was in all of those medieval paintings was, now I know!
Malawi is quite the religious country. One must belong to an organized religion, preferably Christian, unless you are among the 15% of Muslims who primarily populate the southern part of the country. One notable concentration of Muslims lives in Zomba and several surrounding districts where I spend quite a bit of time.
In this country, there can never be a mosque without it’s Christian church counterpart located within 100 meters. However, in Zomba and environs, it is the reverse: there can never be a church without it’s associated mosque. The predominant religion in any area is expressed by an intriguing mix of old (remember construction is with mud brick and anything that survives a few rainy seasons may safely be considered old) and new dominant houses of worship, punctuated by the occasional minority religion house of worship in close proximity to its dominant cousin.
Interestingly, the Bishop of Malawi’s main, and may I say extensive and elaborate, residence is located in Mangochi—the heart of Islam in Malawi (as is a rather large seminary, which is situated on the only hill in the region that overlooks Lake Malawi). The grand and elegant central mosque, meanwhile, is located in downtown Lilongwe in central Malawi, where many fewer Muslims reside. Just an observation.
Then there is the story of the Black Missionaries—Malawi’s answer to Bob Marley—and beloved by Christians and Muslims alike since they are the ONLY famous band in Malawi. It seems that the lead singer died in prison several years ago, though the successful (and very hardworking, two shows nightly every weekend that I’ve been here) band has somehow managed to survive without the charismatic leader.
What did this great man die of? Never a straight answer on that one, but TB has been mentioned more than once, so that’s my story and I’m sticking with it. What is he famous for (other than his music and the fact that he died in prison)? He is deemed by many to be a political martyr because of the prison manifesto he wrote condemning the former president for favoritism towards Muslims. (Mercy me, there were even rumors of al-Queda involvement, but I think the addition of this information to the legend is of quite recent origin.)
Hmm, not all peace and harmony here in south central Africa as I had originally supposed. What? What is that you ask? Why was he in prison in the first place? Oh, that little detail. Here lack of clarity prevails and speculation is not random. His strongest followers—all heavy marijuana smokers, a plentiful and widely used substance blind to religious beliefs—insist it was political persecution. However, drug offenses being what they are world wide (and Malawi is no exception) I have my suspicions.
But back to my original thesis: Who is St. Montfort? Ask a typical Malawian and the answer will be ‘Oh, you know, there’s St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Joseph, St. Montfort...’ I always wondered who that quiet guy off to the side was in all of those medieval paintings was, now I know!
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