BOOK REVIEWS85Mainstream Christianity to 1980 in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe %/. Wetter and J. Linden, Gweru, Mambo Press, 1984, viii, 224 pp,» ISBN0-86922-323-2, ZS6.50.This book is a response to a particular need. It was written as a text for theologicalstudents studying by correspondence. The project was planned at a 1971conference in Malawi which both authors attended. Other commitments delayedthe completion of the project until 1979, since when it has been used, in aduplicated form, as a text for theological education by extension in Malawi. Thispublished edition incorporates several minor revisions, and adds an account of thefinal events of Zimbabwe's independence and a concluding chapter.The need which gave rise to the book has determined both its form and itscontent. It covers Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi, not because they form anysharply demarcated political or religious unity, but because the demand camefrom these three countries. The projected readership has determined the book'sacademic level as well; although it contains new research, it is essentially a generaloverview, with no footnotes and only a short bibliography. Above all, thedemand has determined its restricted scope Š it is the students of the mainstreamdenominations who will chiefly use the book and it therefore covers thesedenominations only. It is thus less than a comprehensive history of Christianity inthese countries.In such a treatment of several denominations in several countries, thestructuring of the material is all-important. The authors decided to arrange thematerial in self-contained units, which certainly makes for clarity, readability andease of reference. The first chapter is a brief description of the Jesuit missions onthe Zambezi (1560-1700), and the second an equally brief sketch of the threecountries in the mid-nineteenth century. The third chapter deals with the missionsin this area in pre-colonial times, giving eight different missions a separatetreatment. Chapter four makes up the bulk of the book, describing themainstream, denominations in the three countries from the beginning of thecolonial period up to 1980, Here, there are nine sections, dealing with the.Anglican, Roman Catholic and major Protestant groupings, in each of the threecountries. These Protestant groupings are the Methodists in Zimbabwe (thissection contributed by Dr R. Peaden), the Presbyterians in. Malawi (contributedby Dr J. Thompson) and the United Church of Zambia (made up of the earlierParis Mission, the London Missionary Society (LMS), Presbyterian and FreeChurches). Chapter five deals with the churches and national affairs. There areonly three sections here, one for each country, for generally in these matters thechurches tended to work together. Chapter six consists of concluding remarks.In a book which ranges so widely over what are largely separate'endeavours, itis essential to strike a proper balance between them, and to paint, a general pictureof each without becoming bogged down in confusing detail or giving undueprominence to the more interesting issues or to the more colourful personalities.Here the authors succeed admirably. Due prominence is given to individuals suchas Laws and Murray of Malawi, Cripps and White in Zimbabwe, Dupont andColin Morris in Zambia, without the general overview being unnecessarilycomplicated. One of the real strengths of the book is the balance struck betweenthe attention paid to the hierarchy, clergy or officials of a church on the one hand,and that paid to the anonymous grassroots membership on the other.88BOOK REVIEWSAs the authors remark (p. mi), one of the advantages of covering severaldifferent denominations in different countries is that it makes 'illuminatingcomparisons possible*. This is a considerable advantage indeed, for particularcountries and churches stand out all the more clearly as a result of thesecomparisons and contrasts. For example, the number of White settlers in acountry determined the clarity with which the churches perceived the interests ofthe Blacks. This explains how in Malawi the churches could see clearly the evils ofthe migrant labour system, whereas in Zimbabwe the churches* view was farmore ambiguous. It also explains how the churches in Zambia and (particularly)Malawi could denounce the imposed Federation of 1953 whereas Zimbabweanchurches were (again) less concerned.Even more interesting are the 'illuminating comparisons' between thedenominations themselves. A Roman Catholic mission, for example, staffed bycelibate priests and nuns, could create an entirely different ethos from that of theLMS missions which insisted on married missionaries Š even to the extent ofsending a missionary off, after the death of Ms wife, to acquire another one. (Inpassing, we can note that the mortality rate among these early missionaries washorrendous (pp. 27, 16).) There were interesting and important differences evenwithin demoninations. In Malawi, for instance, the two settlements of Blantyreand Livingstonia were founded by different branches of Scottish Presbyterians.Zimbabwe had, and still has, its two branches of Methodists; the PrimitiveMethodists of Zambia are a third. And there were significant differences evenwithin religious orders in Roman Catholicism: in Zambia, the Polish Jesuits,coming themselves from an occupied country, had considerable sympathy withthe nationalist cause (p. 164), whereas the danger for the English Jesuits ofZimbabwe was always that of identifying too closely with the interests of theEnglish settlers (p. 202).In the isolation of the early days, individual missions had to solve forthemselves the problems they encountered: how to deal with slave traders (p. 35),how to deal with backsliders, how much corporal punishment to administer(p. 41-5), how insistently to promote Black advancement (p. 135-9). One of thelessons of the book is the advantages that came from learning from one another,from pooling and sharing information even across denominational lines. It seemsthat co-operation was even more evident than friction. The accounts of theunifying of the main Protestant bodies in Malawi and Zambia are particularlyilluminating. The authors express the hope that the book will encourage today'schurch leaders to advance the traditions they inherit (p. vii); this trend towardsco-operation and united activity is one worthy of development.The authors are even-handed throughout, and are determined to show thestrengths and weaknesses, the successes and failures, of each denomination. Thiscan at times give an impression of a certain blandness. For instance, on thequestion as to whether the mainstream churches in Zimbabwe helped or hinderedthe independence straggle, the authors remain fairly neutral: 5A case can bemade [for] either of the two verdicts' (p. 217). There are some other instances ofsuch even-handedness (e.g. pp. 207,212) Š which is probably attributable to thebroad readership for whom the book was intended.The text deserves better maps ŁŠ and more maps (of tribal groupings orjoumeys) and charts would lead to even greater clarity. An index would make theBOOK REVIEWS87book even more serviceable. There are misprints on pages 13,15,54,66,94,99,120,143,149,155,178,186,187 and 202, and surely Tabora is in Tanzania, notUganda (p. 61). Mulolani is given the different forenames of Emilio and Otmilioin the space of two pages (pp. 165, 167).The book covers a wide area succinctly, and presents its fund of information ina balanced and orderly way. It achieves the author's stated aims admirably, anddeserves a far wider readership than the students for whom it was originallyintended.University of ZimbabweP. GlFFORDTransnational In Southern Africa Edited by D. B. Ndlela, A, Seidman,R. Seidman andK. Makamure. Harare, Zimbabwe Publishing House, 1986, iv,219 pp., Z$12,50 (p/b), ISBN 0-949225-06-1.Transnational in Southern Africa is the result of a workshop held in Harare in1982 and attended by scholars from America, East and West Europe, andSouthern Africa on techniques Southern African countries can use to, 'maximisethe benefits and minimise the disadvantages of transnational corporate invest-ment' (p. 1). The book therefore examines a topic of considerable interest in asubcontinent where multinational corporations (MNCs), particularly SouthAfrican multinationals, play an important role in almost every sector of theregional economy and dominate strategic economic sectors of some countries.While most countries in the region are suspicious of MNCs and often view heavyforeign corporate involvement in their economies as a threat to their sovereignty,most Southern African countries would also agree with the opening statement ofSimbi Mubako, then Zimbabwe's Minister of Justice, that 'we need transnationalcorporations [because] we lack the capital, the knowhow, the technology andsometimes the initiative to exploit our own natural resources or market them inthe world' (p. 11). The paradox of countries not-wanting-but-needing multi-nationals is a challenge both to leaders and to scholars who hope to aid the growthof Southern Africa and the freeing of majority-ruled countries from dependenceon South Africa. It is daubtful if this challenge is met by the contributors toTransnationab in Southern Africa.An edited book is designed to be more than the sum of its parts, so it isimportant to examine the book as a whole as well as to consider the worth of theindividual papers. It is unfortunate that the book took four years to be published,as foreign corporate involvement in Southern Africa is a fast-changing topic thatdemands up-to-date information if it is to be persuasive. For example, thedramatic opening by Mozambique to foreign investment in the last two yearswould have influenced the authors, or at least called for comment by them. Thebook is also mistitled. It is not, except for the recommendations, about SouthernAfrica, as it is concerned almost solely with the anglophone countries of theregion. Indeed, most of the empirical work is from Zambia and Zimbabwe. Thisis unfortunate as there were four Mozambican participants at the workshop, and