Christianity in Northern Malawi: Donald Fraser’s Missionary Methods and Ngoni Culture

This text discusses the interaction of the missionary methods of the Scottish missionary Donald Fraser and the traditional culture of the Ngoni people of northern Malawi in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It examines Ngoni origins and culture prior to first contacts with the missionaries, the early life and ideas of Fraser and his disagreements with some of his Scottish colleagues. The text also contains sections on Ngoni interactions with the early colonial government, and the development of a genuinely Ngoni church. Using primary and oral sources, this book is intended to be of use to all those interested in the development of Christianity in Africa and, in particular, to those with an interest in the inculturation of Christianity in Africa, and the religious and political history of Malawi.