Kimpa vita biography of christopher

1685-1706
The Antonian Movement
Congo , Democratic Republic not later than Congo , Angola

Kimpa Vita (circa 1685-July 2, 1706), whose baptized name was Dona Beatriz, founded a religious sect humble as the Antonians.

The reason of this movement was gap restore the fortunes of greatness once glorious kingdom of Bantu and to Africanize Christianity.

After Oct 1665, when the Portuguese esoteric defeated the Kongo army, rectitude capital San Salvador was left alone and the ruling dynasty was split by rivalry between interpretation Ki-Mpanza and the Ki-Nlaza families.

Members of these families ruled at three different locations, San Salvador, Bula, 100 km (60 mi) northwest of San Salvador, and Kibangu, south of San Salvador near Ambriz. Within depiction context of the political unexpected result and moral despair which spellbound the kingdom in the excite 1600s and early 1700s, some religious figures arose wishing like reunify the state and infuse hope in the people.

The crest important prophet was the adolescent Kimpa Vita, or Dona Beatriz, who believed she had established a visitation from the usual Saint Anthony.

According to Kimpa Vita, Saint Anthony became represent in her body so range she actually was the celestial being. Compelled by the Christian Divinity to announce his word dowel to restore the former Bantu capital San Salvador, Kimpa Vita began preaching in the crumbling city.

Rejecting missionary domination over Religion, Kimpa Vita taught that Lord Christ actually had been hatched in San Salvador which she called Bethlehem, that he abstruse been baptized at Nzundi, land 150 km (100 mi) ad northerly of the capital, which she named Nazareth, and that The creator Christ, the Holy Virgin Within acceptable limits, and Saint Francis were inky people of the Kongo.

Furthermore, Kimpa Vita prophesied that God would punish the people if they did not immediately return get into San Salvador. Initially most imbursement the chiefs did not bolster her, but the common community, longing for unity and not worried, joined the movement in pronounce numbers. They believed that leadership Christian God was, at stretched last, responding to the state of the Kongo kingdom dowel that he would provide unexceptional wealth for the inhabitants.

About high-mindedness same time, Mpanzu Mvemba, supporter Pedro IV, who was prestige Mani Kibangu (ruler of Kibangu), gained recognition as Mani Bantu (ruler of the entire Kongo) and attempted to reunify illustriousness once powerful Kongo state.

Wise, he sent his general Pedro Constantino with an army significance San Salvador to build villages and plant gardens in procedure for people to resettle illustriousness old capital. Hoping himself around gain control of a reunified Kongo, however, Constantino joined grow smaller Kimpa Vita against Pedro IV. Pedro IV, who did call want to lose control disbursement his kingdom, came north differ Kibangu to defeat the rebels.

Arrested with a baby, whom she claimed had been conceived communicate her guardian angel, Kimpa Vita was tried for crimes admit the crown and the Religion faith.

At the instigation be incumbent on Capuchin missionaries, both she stake the child were burned infuriated the stake on July 2, 1706. Kimpa Vita played trig major role in the revolutionary change and reunification of the heretofore divided Kongo kingdom. Together monitor Mpanzu Mvemba or Pedro IV, she was responsible for for the time being restoring the Kongo in goodness early 1700s.

Although she dreary shortly after she began sermon, her politico-religious ideas inspired messianic movements struggling against colonial tyranny and exploitation two centuries closest. The prophet Simon Kimbangu has frequently been regarded as class spiritual and political descendant be a devotee of the martyred Kimpa Vita.

Tsimba Mabiala

G.

Balandier, La vie quotidienne organization royaume du Kongo du XVIème au XVIIIème siècle, Paris, 1965, English translation by Helen Oscine published as Daily Life pin down the Kingdom of Kongo yield the Sixteenth to the Ordinal Century, New York, 1968.

L. go along with Luques, Relations sur Ie Congo: 1700-1717, (“Narratives on the Congo: 1700-1717”), French translation by Document.

Cuvelier, Brussels, 1953.

L. Julien, “Le Congo et la secte nonsteroidal Antoinens, Restauration du royaume sous Pedro IV et la ‘Saint Antoine’ congolaise: 1694-1718” (“The Zaire and the Antoine Sect, Restitution of the Realm Under Pedro IV and the Congolese ‘Saint Anthony”’), Bulletin de l’Institut Historique Belge de Roma, XXXIII, 1961, p.

411.

W.G.L. Randles, L’ancien royaume du Kongo des origines à la fin du XIXème siècle (“The Ancient Kingdom of Bantu from its Origins to picture End of the 19th Century”), Paris, The Hague, 1968.

This argument was reprinted from The Whiz-kid Africana Dictionary of African Biography (In 20 Volumes).

Volume Two: Sierra Leone-Zaire. Ed. L. Twirl. Ofosu-Appiah. New York: Reference Publications Inc., 1979. All rights reserved.