Repentance and hope among Christians and Muslims in rural Malawi

This paper describes some aspects of religion in rural Malawi. Our central interest is in particular religious commitments: becoming Born Again (for Christians) and “making Tauba” (for Muslims). In June, July and August of 2001 we conducted a household survey of approximately 3000 married men and women in three districts of rural Malawi. Although the focus of this survey was to learn more about the role of informal social networks in the adoption of modern family planning and in HIV prevention, we also included questions on religious affiliation, whether the respondent had become Born Again or made Tauba, and how often they attended regular services at church or mosque, prayer meetings or meetings to study the Bible or the Koran. In one of the three districts, which has a substantial proportion of Muslims, we conducted informal and exploratory interviews with a small number of respondents about their religious experiences. From these interviews, we wanted to get a sense of why some people decide to become more religiously committed by becoming Born Again or making Tauba, and the involvement of other members of their social networks in this new commitment.