The third cohort of ZTU Masters students are at the point of finishing their first academic year. It is quite a jump to progress from undergraduate to postgraduate studies and most have experienced some daunting moments. But they have supported one another and achieved a successful first year.
One of the big difference from the undergraduate programmes is the strong emphasis we put on contextual theology. Rather than considering theology in the abstract, students discover what it means to take account theologically of their own Malawian context.
First forays into this field prompted a quizzical response. But by the end of the year students are presenting their own reseach findings on such matters as Malawi’s economy, music and song, marriage and divorce, gender justice, initiation practices and the natural environment. Signs are there that they begin to get gripped by research questions and the satisfaction of writing up their conclusions.
A favourite project for me is the requirement of the Church History course that students research and write the biography of a Malawian Christian who has lived in the past. We aim to get these biographies to the level where they can be published in the online Dictionary of African Christian Biography (https://dacb.org). Indications are promising that we will have some new entries to add to the Dictionary this year.
Malawi has to fight against the odds if its people are to have the opportunity to flourish. Students like these create hope that the fight can be won.
