St Peter’s Cathedral Preaching Civilisation

MORE THAN JUST A CHURCH: ST PETER'S

 In most primary schools in Blantyre, Sundays are overly devout days—with different denominations scrambling for classrooms and the faithful.

The school-based prayer houses might be a commonplace portrayal of how freedom of worship in both rural and urban areas, but it contradicts the ideals espoused by pioneers of Christianity in Africa, the heaven-and-earth approach aptly exemplified by St Peters Cathedral of the Anglican Church in Likoma District.

Instead of scuttling for limited learning spaces, the mission station owns nearly all schools at Likoma and Chizumulu.

FORMERLY A DEFILED SPOT

“The cathedral gives us a reason to say civilisation started in Likoma,” says group village head Chalunda.

Tongue in cheek, she explained: “When the first missionaries arrived on the island in 1881, the island had a site called Chipsera, a place where our ancestors used to burn villagers suspected of witchcraft and sexual immorality. The place of burning blood and smells of charred bodies is now home to St Peter’s Cathedral, a centre of nearly all developmental activities in Likoma.”

Constructed from 1908 to 1911, the historic stone building, a no mean tourism attraction on the island, is not just the nerve centre of the early missionaries’ vision to teach locals to read and write scriptures.

In the traditional leader’s words, it has remained true to the three Cs—Christianity, civilisation and commerce—that Scottish missionary explorer Dr David Livingstone envisioned when Africa was reeling from slave trade.

History has it that Livingstone himself came a seeable distance short of stepping on Likoma Island in 1873 when he arrived at Chizumulu in search of Universities Missionary of Central Africa (UMCA) messenger Allan Elton.

Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin formed UMCA in response to Livingstone’s prolific case for Africa in the mid-19^th century.

Also resulting from UMCA cause were Bishop Charles Mackenzie who arrived at Magomero in Chiradzulu in 1861 and Chancy Maples who died in Nkhotakota on the way to Likoma in 1863.
With 85 percent of the island’s population being Anglicans and the remainder belonging to relatively newer churches, healthcare facilities and schools on the hard-to-reach isle bear testimony to fingerprints of the mission station dating back to the 1880s.

The island’s single most important healthcare facility, St Peters Hospital, sees between 100 and 200 patients from Likoma as well as Tanzania and Mozambique daily, according to its head Francis Juma.

The hospital also admits referrals from Chizumulu Health Centre.

On the education front, St Peter’s Cathedral is the mother of teaching and learning institutions that dot the island’s length and breadth.

Apart from Likoma Secondary School which was established in 1964, the count includes St Peter’s, St Michael’s and St Mark’s primary schools at Likoma as well as St John’s and St Mary’s at Chizumulu.

“Besides, the church’s educational exploits include colleges for training the clergy and medical staff as well as an apprenticeship school which used to give the island’s sons and daughters vocational trainings in variety of fields, including printing, carpentry and building,” said Dumisani Chitete, who heads the church’s history committee.

The colleges have been shut down due to funding constraints as their European benefactors left the island when the country attained independence in 1964.

THE AUTHOR'S HOMAGE

However, books printed at the defunct Likoma Press that are still on display at the cathedral’s library show their contribution to the dynamics of the church named after Peter the rock—a bedrock of what the island has become amid what traditional leaders and their people dubbed dribs and drabs of government investment.

According to Chitete, the mission station traces its journey to pioneer British colonial governors, but the stone building was constructed under the supervision of Bishop Cathrew Fisher.

“The station came into being when the British were controlling our islands, but Consul General, Sir Harry Johnston, later left it in the hands of Chaplain Bernard Glopsso who was a trainer of the clergy at the defunct college of theology in its midst,” explains Chitete.

CHITETE, CHALUNDA AND MWASI IN ST PETER'S SHADOW

From Fisher’s term, the cathedral witnessed 24 bishops. Fanuel Makangani, who lives at the headquarters of the Diocese of Northern Malawi in Mzuzu, is the incumbent.

“It’s first homegrown leader was Josiah Mtekateka, a son of Chamba Village in the vicinity, headed the diocese from 1971 to 1989.

Afterwards, Bishop Peter Nyanya divided the dioceses because it was too vast—giving birth to what used to be called the Diocese of Northern Lake Malawi.”

The split marked further demotion of the monolith’s coveted stand as the headquarters of the Diocese of Nyasaland which comprised Nkhotakota, Mpondasi, Malindi in Mangochi and Msumba in Mozambique.

OVER-ARCHING CENTRE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

Apparently, the earliest blow had come in 1932 when a conference of world leaders of the Anglican church meeting in England decided that Likoma could not be the headquarters of the two-nation diocese because it was not a district.

Although former president Bakili Muluzi declared Likoma a separate district from Nkhata Bay on November 5 1999, the cathedral is still responding to St Mark’s cathedral of the Diocese of Northern Malawi in Mzuzu.

 

Its steel arcs and stone walls attract scores of tourists from mainland parts of Malawi and overseas every week.

Its tourism potential has left St Peters Church Committee with plans to build a lodging complex nearby or negotiating a commission from other hospitality businesses that are cashing on organised sightseeing tours of the historic architectural wonder.

INSIDE FRANK GEORGE'S MAGNIFICENT BRAINCHILD

Designed by London-based architect Frank George, the 1 500-seater cathedral usually sits 700 people as some are migrating to newer churches.

Retracing its timeline, St Peter’s congregation was set to commemorate the golden jubilee of Bishop Jackson Biggers, a US missionary who voluntarily relocated to Likoma and got expelled by the one-party rule of founding president Hastings Kamuzu Banda on accusations of instigating the locals to rise against government. They recalled him in 1997 and he now lives in Zomba.

“He may be living elsewhere because he can no longer withstand Likoma’s scorching heat due to his health, but his spirit and first love is here at Likoma where he transformed a lot of souls and lives through his education and  education projects,” village head Mwasi said.

Encounters with Likoma's Tired Cars

FACE OF NO STANDARDS: LIKOMA SECONDARY SCHOOL PICK-UP

To lovers of lurid stories, Likoma and Chizumulu are a gift that keeps giving. If around 11 000 lives were not under threat while Ilala was undergoing maintenance since June last year, it should have been a cliché to chronicle the importance of water transport to the islanders.

Perhaps, what readers do not know is how people travel once they step on the secluded fishing and tourism sites.

If your port of call is Chizumulu, you are bound to leave the island thinking that the residents were born to walk all days of their lives.

BECAUSE THERE'S NO CAR ON CHIZUMULU

There is no car on the isle with a population of 3 000.

But crossing over to the other side to which the district owes its name, one discovers the ageing motoring sphere of the district.

Nosy visitors only need to chance into a vehicle to start asking around how many there are.
 

There are 11 cars on the island. Only three of them are privately owned, locals say. The rest are owned by government departments, including the District Commissioner, Malawi Police Service (MPS), St Peters Hospital, Department of Water and Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom).

FOR ST PETER'S ANGLICAN

However, many are disfigured to the extent that visitors wonder what happened to the certificate of fitness (COF) as a prerequisite for motor vehicles on the roads of Malawi. Is Likoma’s fleet exempted from the Road Traffic Directorate’s standards?  What about the white-hat police officers who enforce traffic regulations and ensure road safety on tarmac upland?

“Here, there are no traffic police officers. The 19 general duties officers at the station can police the handful cars on the roads of Likoma,” said police officer in-charge Gray Chimphepo.

He stated that it does not need an entire traffic department to ensure road safety and weed unwanted vehicles—for you can spend a lifetime without witnessing an accident.

This would be almost true if road accidents were strictly about car clashes. In the absence of bumper-to-bumper collisions, confirmation that accidents can happen even on unpaved road with no traffic jams is conspicuous in the pitiful looks of a privately owned vehicle with the inscription ‘Talumbe’.

FOR PUBLIC HEALTH'S SAKE

Probably the busiest truck on the spot, it has been operating without windscreens, headlamps and indicators since it overturned on the island’s longest highway—a gravel affair between Nkhwazi and Makulichi—in 2011, locals say.

Traditional Authority Nkumpha wants the feeder  road to become the first tarmac on the isles because it is crucial not only when it comes to transportation of vital supplies and information by government officials, but the operations of private vehicles that carry tourists from Ilala’s harbour and Likoma Airport as well as goods  to various destinations.

In terms of emergency cases, especially when St Peters’ two ambulances are busy or faulty, they carry patients, pregnant women and the dead.

UNPAVED MAKULAWE-NKWAZI ROAD

 As the wait for the tarmac continues, motorists say there is no reason to worry about COF since accidents rarely happen and carrying the vehicles to the mainland for road tests would be more costly than they coughed to ship them to Likoma by Ilala’s bulge.

Among the unfit vehicles, a 4x4 Toyota Hilux government bought for Likoma Secondary School during former president Bakili Muluzi’s reign (1994-2004).

Its lights are broken, brakes suspect and the body rusty. Efforts to ascertain its year of make hit a snag because COF and insurance discs were nowhere on the windscreen.

Even deputy head teacher Duncan Msowoya does not remember when they got it.
He quipped: “You may think it’s a non-runner, but it isn’t. This scrap is usually off-road due to breakdowns, but it helps us a lot when ferrying maize to the grinding mill and students to the hospital. The real problems come at night because it has no lights.”

DISTRICT COUNCIL WAITING FOR TWO CARS FROM THE MAINLAND

 The major heartbreak with vehicles such as the State-owned pick-up is not that they cannot be shipped to Nkhata Bay and beyond for repairs due to lack of a jetty at Likoma Port.

Two cars belonging to the District Council are trapped on the mainland due to lack of a jetty at Likoma Port.

The misfortune is that when left unattended to for far too long, the vehicle’s ruinous impact comes when diviners least expect it.

Just last year, a pedestrian was hit by a vehicle, leaving the victim struggling to claim compensation and the proprietor with no insurance for maintenance of his prized asset.

This too presents a new reason for government agencies, including the Road Traffic Directorate, to treat Likoma as truly part of Malawi.

Another World on the Island

SCENIC SCENES PRESENT A TRULY  LIGHTER SIDE OF LIKOMA

When residents call Likoma ‘Half London’, they are not saying it resembles either side of England’s capital.

Rather, they are only paying homage to their geographical similarities: both of them are isles—and Malawi’s hard-to-reach ‘overseas spot’ sometimes gets tourists from its overseas namesake.

ILALA BRINGS TOURISTS TO LIKOMA EVERY WEEK

With no attractions the size of London’s Big Ben, solemn West Minister Abbey and towering Trafalgar Square in sight, the island in the Northern Region and its tagline might be hyperbolic, a virgin adventure seeker’s paradise crying for greater investment in infrastructural development and marketing to realise its potential.

However, tourists interviewed aboard the country’s largest passenger ship, Ilala, declared that the small undeveloped island—measuring 28 square kilometers—is big enough as a relaxation destination.

To the visitors, it gives them something that eludes them on the vast land across the lake where sightseeing sites are abundant.

This is perhaps the reason Likoma District Council’s strategic plan (2011-2016) set aside developing the tourism industry a priority.

MAKWENDA BEACH AT CHIZUMULU

However, most of the lodging and recreational facilities are run by expatriates, with locals boasting low-cost facilities that resemble rest houses and restaurants seen across the country.

“With inadequate capital, it is difficult for locals to venture into tourism business on Likoma. 

Transport problems hike the cost of building materials. Besides, business is slow. If Ilala or other boats do not bring visitors, we often have to do with one or two visitors a night,” said Simeon Msamaliya who owns 36-room Alemekezeke Likoma Port.

Unlike locals, expatriates have seized the worldwide web to market their tourism havens, whose prices are often billed in US dollars.

Bed and breakfast charges range from $100 (about K35 000) to $1000 (K350 000) a night, something traditional leaders describe as a subtle way of stopping them from visiting the sites.

KAYAMAWA LODGE

And there are some destinations which blatantly prohibit locals in preference for tourists from other countries on the continent and overseas who can afford their sky-rocketing dollar billing which is outlawed by the Reserve Bank of Malawi.

“It is discriminatory and unacceptable for  any tourist establishment to expect my people and I to book an appointment to visit recreational facilities constructed on our own land.  

As a chief, we only give the expatriates land because our sons and daughters seem uninterested or constrained to invest in our beautiful beaches,” said Nkumpha in an interview.

Similarly, district commissioner Charles Mwawembe said the local government council was negotiating with foreign investors to desist from racial profiling, a tendency that counters the country’s Constitution which insists on equality.

“As a council, we are aware of the unbecoming behaviour and we are discussing with investors to stop discriminatory practices. Some have changed while others have gone as far as using exorbitant prices to bar locals from accessing their places,” said Mwawembe.

MARRIAGE OF CULTURES: STEVENS WITH LOCALS AT ULISA BAY

 One of expatriate-owned lodges that welcome locals is Ulisa Bay, a four-chalet affair owned by Christopher Stevens.
Stevens, who also runs Nkhotakota and Dedza Pottery having lived in the country since 1979, believes that Likoma has great tourism potential.

“By nature, islands are a different world from what we are used to. They are so calm and isolated from the grinding life on the mainland that in the dead of the night, you can walk from one end to another without worrying about thugs,” explained Stevens.

His place is located on a stunning collage of rock-paved and baobab-paved beaches which offer picturesque views of Chizumulu Island in the distance.

This partly explains why he opted to invest in Likoma which is powered by a 400-kilowatt diesel-powered electricity plant which only works from 8am to 12.30pm and 2pm to 10pm.

Ulisa Bay—built on exceptional simplicity to give lodgers encounters with life in the neighbourhood an unforgettable escape and captivating views—was meant to be his
retirement home as well.

WHERE TANNING SUN MEETS STUNNING SIGHTS

The Britton vividly recalls his tours of the islands of Crete in Greece and Shetlands in Scotland, restating what ought to be obvious to government and policy-makers envisaging tourism substituting tobacco as a main foreign exchange earner.

He says: “Likoma has more potential as a tourism destination, but the numbers remain very low because of travel problems.

“There is need for cruise boats so that tourists can get here faster than they do on Ilala. The boats need to ply daily so that visitors can come and leave Likoma when they want, instead of waiting for the ship.

He bemoaned that for the past year without Ilala, tourists had to endure being boxed in risky boats which carry overloads of passengers, foodstuffs, poultry and livestock.

“This further lowered the numbers of tourists destined for Likoma. Rather than drinking and enjoying postcard views of the lake and landscapes on Ilala’s deck, people who came to relax were being boxed in slow and risky boats,” he said.

IMPOSING ST PETER'S CATHEDRAL

After the experience, a certainty has emerged that not only transport must improve. Even Nkumpha and the DC said there is need to create a truly inviting environment by constructing a jetty so that tourists can embark and disembark the vessels without hustles; improving roads and transforming Nkhwazi-Makulawe ‘stony highway’ into a tarmac to increase visits of overland attractions; putting in place reliable power supply for convenience’s sake; and commissioning a faster ship as MSC envisages.

These steps would help beckon tourists to the islands’ handful lodging facilities, including Ulisa at Ulisa Bay, Kaya Mawa and Mango Drift at Nkwhazi, Khaiko at Mwasi, Sunrise at Chinyanya, Lemekeza at Jalo fishing ground and Makwenda at Chizumulu.

The nests are like helipads from where backpackers and sightseers launch their forays to the islands’ attraction.

PROBABLY THE OLDEST BAOBAB ON THE ISLAND

The sights include the historic St Peter’s Anglican Cathedral, African doctors, iconic rocks and a hut-like baobab tree at Likoma market.

The country must surmount these and more challenges to attract and retain tourists who use Likoma Island as a gateway to Mozambique.

According to district immigration officer Jack Kateta, passport holders from overseas often land at Likoma Airstrip in transit to Nkwichi Bay Lodge across the border.

With Air Malawi grounded by the ongoing liquidation, tourists seen in Likoma usually fly Air Link, Nyasa Air Taxi, Executive Charter and other private jets.