Malawi’s First Presbyterian Ministers

Malawi’s first two Presbyterian ministers, Harry Kambwiri Matecheta and Stephen Kundecha, were ordained in March 1911. Ecclesiastically, this made them fully equal with their European fellow-ministers. There were, however, subtle and not-so-subtle racial codes that reminded them that they were expected to occupy a subordinate position. This Occasional Paper explores how they discovered their identity and vocation in a challenging context.