The importance of religion in Mazabuka

Admittedly very briefly (as this is a blog not a research paper), I want to try and capture the how strongly religion features in daily and working life in Mazabuka with the following examples:

• Meetings, workshops, training sessions and many other gatherings always start with a prayer and more often than not end with one. Commemoration events such as World AIDS Day or International Women’s Day can involve two or three prayers, and sometimes the orators compete with each other in terms of words, actions and volume 
• Faith Based Organisations are vital to the fight against HIV and AIDS, though they can also be at the heart of the problems. Such organisations step in and provide key services, particularly home based care, palliative care and support for orphans and vulnerable children, that the Government does not have the funds to deliver; without such interventions many more people would be suffering and dying. Yet, sometimes, the messages given out by different churches can cause confusion and misunderstanding amongst their congregations, and be in conflict with what Government or other agencies are doing. However,, given the large number of people that regularly go to church, any HIV and AIDS strategy or programme must tap into these congregations in order to be effective
• As a Mzungu (white person) you will regularly be asked about your religious affiliation in terms of which church you belong to, how often and when you go to Church. At the same time people in a very friendly manner will try and entice you to come to their Church
• Churches are a key part of the social fabric of the town.  As Mazabuka lacks what we might see as general amenities (parks, playing fields, youth clubs, sports halls and so on) the main meeting and social places outside of work are churches (discounting the bars and clubs)
• The landscape of the town is dominated by churches – one street has three churches that stand side by side (each a slightly different denomination) and close by a mosque sends out a call for prayer. Since I have lived here at least three more churches has been built. Also economically the Church dictates with some shops and businesses being closed on Saturdays due to the owners and/or workers being Seventh Day Adventists
• People see themselves as good people because of their faith, going to church and being a Christian. They are very dedicated and devote even though the reality of daily life is much more challenging and means that their own behaviour may conflict with their beliefs.   There is a very the strong belief amongst church goers that their church and their denomination is the right one. For example, within Mazabuka there is under the surface a simmering tension  (which then did rise up during the recent riots) between Christians and Muslims. This level of intolerance is expressed to each other by both sides.