Muapula Mission
Churches in Port Elizabeth

The Mission Station is a product of the initiative that the Igreja Reformada em Mozambique (Reformed Church of Mozambique) took to establish a pioneer work among the Makhua people of Northern Mozambique.

The Bible translation is one component of a comprehensive, multi-sectoral development project centered at the Muapula Mission Station. Axelson (1972) deducts that since there were archaeological items that were found in Zambia and Zimbabwe that date to 100 AD and 300 AD respectively, it is reasonable to suppose that parts at least of Mozambique were also occupied early in the Christian era by iron users, who were doubtless Bantu-speaking Negroes. This kingdom covered a large part of today’s Mozambique and Zimbabwe. New commercial alliances were formed and the need for defense against frequent attacks from raiders increased. It was also during this time that the Arabs appeared on the Mozambican scene. The Arabs, local tribes and the Portuguese (when they appeared on the scene) all took part in the slave trade. Tribes like the Yao and Makhuas provided the Arabs and Portuguese of slaves on a big scale. The Makhuas started to group themselves together into confederations in order to have a better defense and to keep control over the ivory and slave trade. The Portuguese first set foot on Mozambique at the end of the 15th century. The most significant event of the 19th century was probably the migration of the angoni people from Zulu land in South Africa to Mozambique and other countries in Southern Africa. In the middle of the 19th century they reached the Rovuma river which forms the border between Mozambique and Tanzania. As they migrated, they waged war with the groups they encountered. During the first World War, there were some military activities in the areas where the Makhuas lived and lives. Maúa is the nearest village/town from our mission station. It is about 30 kilometers from Muapula to Maúa as the crow flies. This area stretces from the Rovuma river in the North to the Licungo river in the South (in the vicinity of the Zambezi river) and from the Indian Ocean in the East to the Lugenda river in the West. There is no uniformity amongst the few sources available when it comes to the population numbers of the Makhuas. The biggest ethno-linguistic group is the Makhua-Lomwe group which comprises about 40 percent of the total population. The Makhuas are mainly peasants that are making a living by planting maize and other produce on their little pieces of land. The so-called subsistence farming which characterize so many parts of Africa is also typical of the Makhuas. In the Maúa District maize is produced on a large scale and it is their main source of food. In a certain sense they have the same attitude towards God. In fact, in the Makhua culture, the relationship with the uncle is more important than with the father. It takes the stories of Adam and the prodigal son to explain to them that the reason why Muluku is far, is because man walked away because of sin.