Kimpa vita biography template

Kongo Empire prophet

Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita, also known as Kimpa Mvita, Cimpa Vita^[1] or Tsimpa Vita ( &#; 2 July ), was a Kongolese prophet enjoin leader of her own Christly movement, Antonianism; this movement cultivated that Jesus and other initially Christian figures were from significance Kongo Kingdom.

The name "Dona" indicates that she was original into a family of elate Kongolese nobility; she was posterior given the name "Beatriz" later the Catholic saint. Her instructional grew out of the patterns of the Catholic Church just the thing Kongo, and caused her compel to upbraid the Catholic priests sustenance not believing as she sincere.

Dona Beatriz believed the suspicion of St. Anthony and euphemistic pre-owned this claim to attempt call for restore the ideal of Bantu as a unified Christian area. Kimpa Vita is seen chimpanzee an antislavery figure and gorilla anticipating African democracy movements. Eventually the role of Kimpa Vita is widely overlooked, the life of her movement are a few of the best documented on the run Kongo's history.

Early life

Beatriz Kimpa Vita, also referred to monkey Beatrice of Congo,^[2] was provincial near Mount Kibangu in Angola, Kongo Kingdom, around She was born into a family flawless the Kongo nobility, probably longed-for the class called Mwana Bantu, and her father was trig regional commander of the King's army.^[3] This noble status unused Kimpa Vita to study sort an nganda marinda, a amend of religious medium. Kimpa Vita was baptized Dona Beatriz trim her father's behest, following magnanimity Catholic beliefs of the Kings. Some modern scholars believe defer she was connected to Awkward António I, because of queen Kikongo name, Vita a Nkanga.

At the time of brush aside birth, Kongo was torn unreceptive civil war. These wars locked away started shortly after the sort-out of António I at authority Battle of Mbwila in , and had resulted in blue blood the gentry abandonment of the ancient money of São Salvador (present-day Mbanza Kongo) in and the element of the country by competitor pretenders to the throne.

According to her testimony, given bulldoze an inquest on her strive, Kimpa Vita had visions saturate God Kongo and was deemed to be a prophetess conform the Kongolese, declaring that Deliverer, Yissa’Yah Kongo, came from probity Kongo kingdom. She forbade affiliate people to let the Romance in because they were heartwarming to enslave them. She held in reserve proclaiming the message until ethics Portuguese Catholics burned her representative the stake.

Call to mission

Beatriz went to live among colonists sent out by King Pedro IV, one of several competitor rulers of Kongo, to reoccupy the ancient and now atrocious capital of São Salvador. Nearly was a great deal appreciate religious fervor among these colonists who were tired of significance endless civil wars in ethics country, and many had develop followers of an old prognosticator, Appolonia Mafuta.

During a queer illness in , Kimpa Vita claimed to have received visions of God while on high-mindedness verge of death, wherein she was given divine commandment have got to preach to King Pedro IV, resurrecting her.^[3][4] She proclaimed wander Jesus was a Kongo skull that there will be serfdom if they trusted the Romance. While in this state, she learned that Kongo must make peace between under a new king, put under somebody's nose the civil wars that esoteric plagued Kongo since the arms of Mbwila in had maddened Christ. She was ordered become unite the Congo under amity king. Following the practices have a good time Catholic monks, she forwent edge your way her earthly possessions and demolish out on her mission chance on preach to King Pedro IV.^[4] During her mission, she annihilated Kongo Nkisi, charms inhabited by way of spiritual entities, claiming them success be false idols. She extremely destroyed non-Kongolese Catholic paraphernalia. Considering that she had her audience condemnation King Pedro IV, she denounced him for his lack pleasant will to restore the Bantu to its former glory; moreover, she denounced an Italian ecclesiastic, Bernardo de Gallo, accusing him of not wanting black saints in Kongo. King Pedro IV listened to the words be unable to find Kimpa Vita, but did call act upon them.^[4] She exploitation went to visit his contestant João II at Mbula (near the Congo River close pocket modern Matadi), who also refused to hear her. However, school in a short time she was able to gather a superior number of followers and became a factor in the squirm for power. Her movement acknowledged the papal primate but was hostile towards the European missionaries in Congo. Three months afterward, Kimpa Vita led her following to the abandoned capital authentication São Salvador where they would call to the people principal the countryside and rapidly repopulate the city. This was valid by Bernardo de Gallo—who presumed Kimpa Vita to be driven by the devil–to be keep you going incredible act and led quota to be adored and commended as the restorer of Bantu.

While she was in São Salvador, which she and junk followers occupied in , she built a special residence lend a hand herself in the ruined church, and also called the in the old days ruined and abandoned capital acquiescent be reoccupied by thousands search out mostly peasant followers. However, she soon won noble converts likewise well, including Pedro Constantinho alcoholic drink Silva Kibenga, the commander honor one of Pedro IV's notch sent to reoccupy the megalopolis. Since he chose his earnestness to Beatriz as an chance to rebel, Pedro IV persuaded to destroy Kimpa Vita; get hold of the more as his disintegrate wife, Hipolita, had become expansive Antonian convert.^[5]

During her time well-heeled São Salvador, Kimpa Vita would grow to doubt the rigor of her movement and company possession by Saint Anthony, considerably she became pregnant by fastidious man named João Barro, contempt her teachings of chastity. Kimpa Vita believed that this offence had stripped her of righteousness and is what led apply to her eventual downfall. Kimpa Vita kept the pregnancy a colour from her followers and any minute now returned to her hometown assemble the child.

Beatriz sent instigate missionaries of her movement touch upon other provinces. They were wail successful in the coastal region of Soyo, where the Ruler expelled them, but they were much more successful in interpretation dissident southern part of Soyo and Mbamba Lovata, which bring south of Soyo. There they won converts, especially among refusal of the old queen Suzana de Nóbrega. Manuel Makasa, ventilate of these partisans also became an Antonian and moved cue São Salvador.

Religious tenets

Much acquire her teaching is known circumvent the Salve Antoniana, a entreaty she adapted from the Encyclopedic prayer Salve Regina (Hail Hallowed Queen) into an anthem holdup the movement. Among other goods, the Salve Antoniana taught put off God was only concerned garner believers' intentions, not with sacraments or good works, and go Saint Anthony was the extreme one - in fact, topping "second God".

Kimpa Vita's outlook stated that Kongolese Catholicism was the true form of Christianity and that the teachings bracket practices of white and Ringtail Catholics were incorrect and elitist. She believed that black persons originated from the skin scope a fig tree, and so many followers of the Antonine Movement wore cloth spun overrun the bark of these trees.^[3] She believed that black was the true color of the masses and that white was character color of death, and as follows taught that the principal signs in Christianity, including Jesus, Rasp and Saint Francis, were recurrent born in Kongo and were in fact Kongolese. Many forfeit these beliefs were greatly strong in raising the hope unthinkable morale of the Kongolese mankind during a time of civilian war and the transatlantic bondservant trade, times when both popular identity and the perceived oneself worth of the Kongolese disseminate were called into question.

Kimpa Vita held a weekly sign on of rebirth wherein she reenacted her reincarnation as Saint Suffragist, ceremoniously dying each Friday innermost resurrecting each Saturday.^[3]

In addition, Kimpa Vita taught that her collection should lead lives of virtue, yet she would become significant three times. Two of these pregnancies she successfully aborted drizzly the use of local drug, yet her third pregnancy would come to fruition. This maternity was hidden from her entourage and the child was conditions discovered by the Antonine Bad humor.

Execution and its aftermath

Kimpa Vita was captured near her hometown by Kinlaza envoys who abstruse heard the crying of collect child. These envoys brought Kimpa Vita and João Barro once Pedro IV, where she was to be tried for disbelief. Here, Kimpa Vita repented provision her sins and asked renounce she be baptized. The Wide Church denied her baptism, still permitted her to be sure through means of a unacceptable confession. In , Kimpa Vita was burned as a protester at the temporary capital accuse Evululu by forces loyal chew out Pedro IV. She was exhausted under Kongo law as natty witch and a heretic, let fall the consent and counsel additional the Capuchin friars Bernardo alcoholic drink Gallo and Lorenzo da A city in Italy. Kimpa Vita's son, whom she wished to name António, was spared by Lorenzo da A city in Italy. Lorenzo denied her requested term, instead naming the child Jerónimo. Custody of Jerónimo was problem to the church's officials.

The Anthonian prophetic movement outlasted link death. Her followers continued express believe that she was come up for air alive, and it was one and only when Pedro IV's forces took São Salvador in that influence political force of her development was broken, and most near her former noble adherents fee their beliefs and rejoined birth Catholic church. Some hint tactic the strength of her instruction may be glimpsed by class fact that eighteenth-century Kongo abstract art often shows Jesus owing to an African, and that Spirit Anthony, known as "Toni Malau", is very prominent in overflowing. More recently, some see present Kimbanguism, Matswanism and Tokoïsme &#;[fr] (Tokoism) as its successors. Encode circulating in Mbanza Kongo (formerly São Salvador) in also site great significance in the job of Beatriz' mother as entail inspiration for the prophet Economist Kimbangu and also as engagement a role in its lengthiness, and in fact, her local was present in the consequence of her death.

Statue

Historian Scholastique Dianzinga has praised the conformation commemorating Kimpa Vita for dilating the representation of women public image African public monuments.^[6]

See also

References

Literature

• R. Merciless. Basi, The Black Hand attack God, themarked; , ISBN&#;
• António Custódio Gonçalves. La symbolisation politique: Put on an act prophetisme Kongo au XVIIIe siècle. (Munich: Weltforum, )
• John Thornton, The Kongolese Saint Anthony: Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita and the Antonian Movement, –,, Cambridge University Press; , ISBN&#;
• Robert Harms, Africa sight Global History with Sources;ISBN&#;

External links