DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.70004#0094
92
ing mobility of society in general, which causes members to come together in
places where the group was previously unrepresented, but also through under-
takings in new areas. In the diagram (Fig. 35), this transitory development
is shown through a tendency towards the bottom right, illustrated by three
cases, namely RC, RCZ and JW. Whereas the RC and RCZ are subject to
very strong changes and in the diagram ‘cover long stretches’, this change is
taking place slowly in the case of the Witnesses. It might be noted that this
tendency by the churches towards spatial expansion does not find a parallel in
the total population. Rather, it tends towards spatial concentration, predomi-
nantly along the line of rail and neighbouring areas. The ID of the population
of the nine provinces of Zambia in relation to the area of the provinces grew
from about 24 in 1963 to 61 in 1980.
From the above it is clear that several churches can be classified as strongly
regional as well as ethnically orientated. However, the concept of a “tribal
church” or “tribalistic” should be avoided as it has derogatory undertones30.
One should not go to the other extreme, however, and invoke tribalism to ex-
plain all conflicts in independent Zambia, thereby playing down social and
economic causes. It is, however, an undeniable fact that ethnic differences do
contribute to conflicts in society and this inevitably affects the churches. The
surveys mentioned earlier by McCULLOGH (1956, 76) in Livingstone and by
IPENBURG (1982) in Chief Nkana’s village, clearly show the connection be-
tween ethnic and church affiliation, even in urban areas. In Livingstone the
majority of Lozi were PEM adherents, the majority of Bemba were Catholics,
and most Nyanja speakers belonged to the DRCM. In similar fashion, in Chief
Nkana’s village in the periurban area of the Copperbelt the Bemba are mostly
Catholics or belong to the UCZ, the Lamba are Baptists and the Chokwe from
North-Western Province are members of the New Apostolic Church, the Ad-
ventist Church or CMML. Even in the “national churches”, especially those of
the urban type, there are ethnic conditioned problems as seen by AMEC (se-
cession of a Lozi dominated section) and by the UCZ (refusal of many Tumbuka
to join). This has even been experienced in the Catholic Church. In southern
Malawi, according to LINDEN (1974, 193) the Catholic Church can, without
exaggeration, be described as the Lomwe Church although the Lomwe, im-
migrating mainly from Mozambique, only represent a minority there. In the
“Milingo affair”, mentioned earlier, the appointment of a Bemba, Archbishop
Mutale of Kasama, as temporary Administrator of the Archdiocese of Lusaka
was rejected by a large section of Lusaka Catholics, the majority of whom are
Nyanja (Milingo also comes from the Eastern Province). Many other problems
of a regional or ethnic origin which affect society seem not to have parallels
in the churches. Thus no conflicts connected with the continual latent efforts
towards secession in Barotseland (Western Province) have arisen in the UCZ,
even though a considerable number of its members were associated with the
ing mobility of society in general, which causes members to come together in
places where the group was previously unrepresented, but also through under-
takings in new areas. In the diagram (Fig. 35), this transitory development
is shown through a tendency towards the bottom right, illustrated by three
cases, namely RC, RCZ and JW. Whereas the RC and RCZ are subject to
very strong changes and in the diagram ‘cover long stretches’, this change is
taking place slowly in the case of the Witnesses. It might be noted that this
tendency by the churches towards spatial expansion does not find a parallel in
the total population. Rather, it tends towards spatial concentration, predomi-
nantly along the line of rail and neighbouring areas. The ID of the population
of the nine provinces of Zambia in relation to the area of the provinces grew
from about 24 in 1963 to 61 in 1980.
From the above it is clear that several churches can be classified as strongly
regional as well as ethnically orientated. However, the concept of a “tribal
church” or “tribalistic” should be avoided as it has derogatory undertones30.
One should not go to the other extreme, however, and invoke tribalism to ex-
plain all conflicts in independent Zambia, thereby playing down social and
economic causes. It is, however, an undeniable fact that ethnic differences do
contribute to conflicts in society and this inevitably affects the churches. The
surveys mentioned earlier by McCULLOGH (1956, 76) in Livingstone and by
IPENBURG (1982) in Chief Nkana’s village, clearly show the connection be-
tween ethnic and church affiliation, even in urban areas. In Livingstone the
majority of Lozi were PEM adherents, the majority of Bemba were Catholics,
and most Nyanja speakers belonged to the DRCM. In similar fashion, in Chief
Nkana’s village in the periurban area of the Copperbelt the Bemba are mostly
Catholics or belong to the UCZ, the Lamba are Baptists and the Chokwe from
North-Western Province are members of the New Apostolic Church, the Ad-
ventist Church or CMML. Even in the “national churches”, especially those of
the urban type, there are ethnic conditioned problems as seen by AMEC (se-
cession of a Lozi dominated section) and by the UCZ (refusal of many Tumbuka
to join). This has even been experienced in the Catholic Church. In southern
Malawi, according to LINDEN (1974, 193) the Catholic Church can, without
exaggeration, be described as the Lomwe Church although the Lomwe, im-
migrating mainly from Mozambique, only represent a minority there. In the
“Milingo affair”, mentioned earlier, the appointment of a Bemba, Archbishop
Mutale of Kasama, as temporary Administrator of the Archdiocese of Lusaka
was rejected by a large section of Lusaka Catholics, the majority of whom are
Nyanja (Milingo also comes from the Eastern Province). Many other problems
of a regional or ethnic origin which affect society seem not to have parallels
in the churches. Thus no conflicts connected with the continual latent efforts
towards secession in Barotseland (Western Province) have arisen in the UCZ,
even though a considerable number of its members were associated with the