The centenary of Amadodana in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa: development and influence of this movement

Abstract

The establishment of the mining industry in South Africa gave birth to a new movement in the Methodist Church, a movement that was mainly made up of men. This movement emerged as a result of men in the mining compounds who found themselves with nothing to do during the weekends. Some felt the need to be creative and to ensure that their spiritual needs were met. They thought of a solution: a new way of worshipping and praising God in a unique form. A group of young men came together and discussed how they could go about mobilising men in the mines to be part of this initiative. This article investigates the history of Amadodana in the Methodist Church: their struggle to be recognised and accepted, the first meetings which led to the establishment of the regular conventions, and further developments which kept the movement growing far beyond initial expectations. The adoption of their uniform was a significant event for the Band (later the Young Men’s Guild, also abbreviated as YMG), known popularly as ‘Amadodana’, as was the development of the constitution. At the end of this article, I come to certain conclusions based on my discussion in the main body of the article.