Miembe is a name applied for the welcoming and farewell celebrations among the seminarians at Kipalapala Senior Seminary, basing on their legal groupings. The welcome miembe celebrations is normally celebrated in the beginning of the academic year, to welcome the new comers, that is, the First Year Fraters. This is famously so called MIEMBE MIDOGO. The farewell miembe celebration is normally held at the end of the academic year, as a farewell to the Fourth Year Fraters, famously so called MIEMBE MIKUBWA. The term “miembe” is used for these celebrations because, traditionally, they are celebrated under the mango trees in our seminary compound.

Miembe is specifically, 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. They are: Mwembe Kaskazini, Mwembe Mashariki, Mwembe Bawa, Mwembe MSMGB, Mwembe Simba, Mwembe Mkorosho, Mwembe Mpambesu and Mwembe Muungano.   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 welcome miembe celebration of this academic year 2022/2023, which took place on November 19^th 2022. There are 109 first year fraters from all over Tanzania, who were welcome on the basis of their miembe groups, as they are beginning their Theological studies. The preparations began in the evening of the preceding 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.

Every mwembe group expected and received guests from within the seminary like workers, formators and nuns. Around 2:00pm, all the miembe groups began to receive guests and celebrations commenced. The celebrations were as usual good and every one 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 sessions especially for dinner. On the following day after a Sunday mass and tea in the dining hall, all went for the activities of reordering and getting everything back to its proper order after the celebrations.

(Reported by Frt. Godfrey Fredrick Mkwe)