During the 16th Century, the Kingdom of Kongo was one of the wealthiest and most powerful states in central Africa. However, around the 17th Century, it began to break down following the numerous internal and external pressures. The Portuguese rulers from Angola had extended their brutality to Kongo. It was in 1665 when they killed Antonio I, who was a Congo ruler. Around the 18th Century, Sao Salvador, currently Mbaza Kongo was deserted as the people abandoned it because the Kingdom split into smaller territories. The members of the noble family from the old Kingdom then ruled those territories.
Therefore, following this division, different groups formed movements. Those who did not have political power took the path of religion. And it is through these movements that a prominent leader arose. This leader had the capabilities to communicate with the supernatural world and find solutions to the community’s problems. This article will focus on the history of this great noble lady (Kimpa Vita).
Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita, also known as Kimpa Mvita, was a prophet of the Kongo Empire and a leader of a Christian movement called Antonianism. The latter religion believed that Jesus originated from the Kongo religion. Beatriz and Dona were additional names that Kimpa received during her course in life. The phrase Dona meant born from a family of Kongolese nobility.
Kimpa extracted her teachings from the traditions of the Roman Catholic Church of Kongo. During some instances, Kimpa rebuked the Catholic priests for having little faith. She had faith in the teachings of St. Anthony, which she used to unite the people of the Kongo Kingdom. History documents Kimpa Vita as a strong democrat who condemned the slave trade as she believed in freedom of speech and movement.
The Early Life of Kimpa Vita
Beatriz Kimpa Vita, the noble girl, was born to a noble family in the Kingdom of Kongo, which in the present day is part of Angola. Kimpa’s family belonged to the noble class of Mwana Kongo. Some scholars thought that Kimpa was related to King Antonio, who succumbed in 1665 during a war on Mbiwa because both of them shared the name Vita.
Vita’s mother bore her during a painful period, for amid that time, Kongo was suffering from civil wars. These wars began after Antonio I died. The conflict resulted in people fleeing the ancient Capital of Sao Salvador. At a younger age, Kimpa testified that she could see visions from God Kongo. She explained to people how she saw heaven and talked to God. As such, her popularity spread in the region, and she secured herself the title of a prophetess in Kongo. She warned her people against allowing foreigners in their land, for she believed they would enslave and oppress them. As she kept cautioning the people against the Portuguese, who learned of the news and quarreled with her. And just as Kimpa predicted, upon arriving in Africa the Portuguese started murdering, raping, and enslaving families. As such, the colonials separated families from their loved ones.
Duty Calls
King Pedro IV sent out Beatriz on a mission to go and live among colonials and settle in the capital of Sao Salvador. The colonials who were ready to follow in Kimpa’s path received numerous favors. They were now followers of the old prophet, (Apponolonia Mafuta). There was a time when Kimpa fell sick. She told the people that she had seen visions of God. Therefore, she began to preach to the people about God, and with the help of Appolonia Mafuta, many people patronaged her. They even thought that she was the real voice of God. Kimpa believed that the only way to save her people was by reuniting them under a new King.
Since she was determined to bring his people together, she destroyed the idols and charms which some people considered spiritual. Upon returning from her mission, Kimpa went to see King Pedro I. However, the King refused to hear what she had to say. Therefore, she decided to visit Joao II, at Mbula, who also refused to listen to her. Kimpa then decided to formulate her group. She had managed to gather enough followers within a short period.
Therefore, together with her movement, she became a factor in the struggle for power. Her movement followed suit in rebuking European missionaries in Kongo. Kimpa’s movement treated the European missionaries with a lot of hostility, for they believed they would enslave them. After three months, Kimpa led her followers to the capital city of Salvador. As time passed, the population increased as the people called on the people who were living in the countryside to join their movement.
The rate at which Kimpa’s following escalated drew a lot of controversies. At one point, an Italian Priest, Betnardo de Gallo, alleged that Kimpa was not God’s servant, and that she worked with the devil and thus gained so many followers and adoring from many people who thought she was the restorer of Kongo.
While in Sao Salvador with her followers, she established an exceptional residence in the abandoned cathedral. Initially, Kimpa’s movement comprised of peasant followers. Nevertheless, it was not long before she won noble converts like Pedro Constantinho da Silva Kibenga, a general in one of King Pedro’s armies. As Kimpa’s fame kept growing, and the number of those she influenced increased, Kimpa became a target for many leaders. As such, when she returned to Sao Salvador, Catholics detained her at the mountain top court of Pedro IV. The Catholics accused her of heresy. Nevertheless, despite the arrest, many people still viewed her as a prophetess of the Kongolese people.
In an attempt to spread her religion, Kimpa sent out missionaries to other provinces. Some people listened to them while others sent them away. For instance, in the coastal area of Soyo, they encountered hostility. The Prince of the region chased them out of his territory. Fortunately, they were welcomed in the southern part of Soyo and Mbamba Lovata. Therefore, they got new converts. Most of these converts were partisans of the old queen Suzana de Nobrega.
What Did Kimpa Teach From?
Most of Beatriz’s preachings come from the Salve Antoniana. The latter is a prayer she learned from the Catholic prayer, Salve Regina. She turned these teachings into an anthem for her movement. The Salve Antoniana states that God only cared about a believer’s intentions, not the sacraments or the good works. Beatriz taught her followers the primary characters, the virtues of Christianity. She made the believers think that even Mary and Saint Francis were Kongolese, originally from Kongo.
The Execution of Kimpa
Throughout her life, Beatriz continued with her ministry, influencing many people from joining her movement. She was a brave woman who did not feel intimidated regardless of numerous threats from the Europeans. she made it difficult for the European missionaries to spread their religion. Because of her persistence in resisting colonials, many Africans became reluctant to interact with the colonials.
Kimpa Vita had troubled the Europeans and the royal Kongo forces for a long time before they managed to capture her. Kimpa was near her hometown when forces, who were loyal to Pedro IV, arrested her. They charged her with witchcraft and alleged that she was a heretic. The authorities then lynched her at the temporary capital of Evululu.
While in detention and burning, the Anthonian prophetic movement believed that Kimpa was still alive. However, when Pedro IV’s men took over the Sao Salvador, the campaign broke apart, for it was then that it dawned on them that their leader was no more. The nobles who had joined her movement renounced it and rejoined the Catholic church.
During the 18th Century, some Kongo art showed that Jesus was African. In a way, it supports Kimpa’s ideology of Jesus coming originally from Kongo.
Moral lesson
Kimpa was a firm believer in leading a righteous life. And it is because of that that she established her movement. She saw the catholic priests as being hypocritical. Therefore, we learn that we should do it whole heatedly when serving God without expecting anything in return. For the Kingdom of heaven is not concerned about worldly things, but rather the righteousness of individuals.
We also learn that Christians should not engage in atrocities, e.g., killing, enslaving, and even torturing people. The purpose of Christians in life is to provide direction to those who are lost. By helping such people recollect themselves and determine their course in life, Christians fulfill the words of the scripture.
Moreover, other than being a good example, people should have the courage to be able to speak their minds. It is not every day that one challenges the higher authority and walks freely. Therefore, to be able to influence others, one requires divine strength. They should not be scared of what might happen in the future. For instance, Kimpa stood out and resisted European invasions. She stood firm to her course regardless of knowing she endangered herself. She is a legend among the ancient inhabitants of Kongo.
MORE:
