Miembe is a name applied for the welcoming and farewell celebrations among the seminarians at Kipalapala Senior Seminary. The welcome miembe celebration is normally celebrated in the beginning of the academic year, to welcome the new commers, the First Year Fraters; and the farewell miembe celebration is normally held at the end of the academic year, as a farewell to the Fourth Year Fraters. The term “miembe” is used for these celebrations because, traditionally, they are celebrated under the mango trees in our seminary environment.

Miembe is celebrated in groups of seminarians, basing on the zones in Tanzania like MWEMBE KASKAZINI, MWEMBE MASHARIKI; or basing on the unions of several dioceses like MWEMBE SIMBA (Singida, Mbulu and Arusha), MWEMBE MPAMBESU (Mpanda, Mbeya and Sumbawanga). Generally, there are 8 miembe groups of seminarians.  Every seminarian is a member and sharer in a specific “mwembe”, depending on which mwembe his diocese participates. Miembe celebrations have been a long-lived tradition of Kipalapala Seminary.

This article is based on the farewell miembe celebration of this academic year 2021/2022, which took place on 28^th May 2022. There were 44 Fourth Year Fraters from all over Tanzania to whom we bid farewell on the basis of their miembe groups, as they are graduating their Theological studies. The preparations began in the evening before the very day. The schedule of the miembe day was preceded by the Holy Mass in the morning, and after Mass all fraters went for tea in the dining hall. After tea the activities of the day began in every mwembe like slaughtering, cooking, and all that is concerned with the celebrations.

The reception of guests from outside the seminary has not been common since 2020 because of Covid-19 pandemic, so every mwembe group expected and received guests from within the seminary like workers, formators and nuns. Around 1:30pm, all the miembe had begun to receive guests and celebrations had commenced. The celebrations were as usual good and everyone enjoyed the day. Around 6:00pm, the celebrations ended and the guests left for other programs of the day. There was as usual the evening session especially for dinner. On the next day after Sunday Mass and breakfast in the dining hall, all went for the activities of reordering and getting everything back to its proper and usual order.

(Reported by Frt. Godfrey Fredrick Mkwe)