AFRICAN QUEENS Part1

In this post and the others that will follow, kindly note that not all the women I will refer to as queens were actual queens but because of the bravery strength, and power they demonstrated throughout their walk on earth.

                      Queen Lenshina's “A spiritual rebel”

Born Alice Mulenga later known as Lenshina in Bemba (meaning queen or Regina) was born around 1920 in chinsali Northern Rhodesia present-day Zambia, Lenshina was a self-proclaimed prophetess (later would be labeled a rebel because of her militant ways) she led thousands of. 

It was believed that she rose to the role of a prophetess in 1953 when she fell ill with malaria and was in a coma for an unspecified period, however, after she gained consciousness Lenshina claimed she met Jesus and he told her to teach the Africans the new way of worship, she later founded the church called Lumpa around 1955-1958 her church was against witchcraft and this attracted a large following and soon she had more followers than the catholic church and the church of Scotland. 

Her large following became a threat to other churches because at that time it was unheard of for a woman to lead, especially spiritual leadership, not only was she a threat to male spiritual leaders but to the then democratically elected president Kenneth Kaunda who was frightened of the power she influenced the people of chinsali as well as other provinces around the country.

Lenshina was well aware of her enemies and she wasn’t the silent one, she openly spoke against Kenneth Kaunda's choice of running the country just like the colonial rule, she was against the Western ways of governing including their ways of worshiping God, and she woke and was not interested in colonial relationships that Kenneth Kaunda was engaging himself in and this is where she and Kenneth Kaunda differed fought and argued. 
Their battle got violent and bloody when the ruling party led by Kenneth Kaunda attached Lenshina’s members, burning their houses and eventually killing them but she took action and requited against Kenneth Kaunda by undertaking the same act, burning his party member’s houses and killing just as many.

She would later be arrested and die in prison around 1978 (I believe she was killed) although she died her church did not die, up to this day her church is still active around Zambia.  Lenshina was a true queen of spirituality and fearlessness; she lived in a tough era where women were side-lined in all aspects of life, but still, she conquered.

Lenshina was a true queen born out of Zambia.