African Queens Part 3

Source: Wikipedia 

This is a story of a girl who believed she died and rose again, after the resurrection, she alleged that Jesus assigned her to speak against colonial rule and show the Africans a new way of worship. This is how it all started.

One day in the years between 1966-1968 Beatriz Kimpa Vita, known as Kimpa Vita was born, from the early years of her life Kimpa saw visions of things to come subsequently to no surprise her parents took her to train as a (Shaman) Nganga Marinda (someone who connects to the spiritual realm), the poor child lived her life confused with everything that was going on until in her early teens when kimpa experienced a near-death experience, she said and I quote “I have seen Jesus, he wants the Africans to be free from colonial rule and by the way he is just like you, his a Congolese together with all biblical figures” wow sister, OK so after this weird day kimpa denounced her duties as a Nganga Marinda then headed to the Catholic Church.

This too proved to be a disappointment when the priest preached that Jesus and all that dwell in heavenly places were white, and that colonization was the will of God for the Africans, well kimpa knew better she couldn’t stand hearing this, as a result, she formed her own religion Yesss girl.

Kimpa called her religious movement Antonianism, her main goal was to reteach what the Catholic religion had been teaching about Jesus and other Christian figures, she also believed that Jesus told her to rebuild the once-famous Mbanza Kongo, (Mbanza Kongo was the capital city of the once successful Kongo kingdom, before the Portuguese’s settlers arrived) kimpa

Ruins of Mbanza Kongo 

Was certain that with her new religion a new king and Jesus backing her, Mbanza Kongo would return to its former glory.

At just 20 years old (what was I doing at 20) she led thousands, her 

 

followers were intrigued by the fact that she claimed Jesus was black in fact a Congolese for that matter, like kimpa her followers too wanted to see Mbanza back to what it used to be, another thing that was astonishing to hear from kimpa every gathering was her weekly trips to heaven, she would sleep on Friday wake up on Sunday while she slept kimpa claimed she visited Jesus during the weekend and he told her what must be done for the freedom of the people.

Kimpa Vita became a powerful force in her time, she led thousands to repopulate Mbanza Kongo, this influence that she had over the people of Kongo alarmed the Catholic Church and so 21-year-old kimpa vita was captured near her hometown in the early 1700s and burnt to death with her unborn child, she was charged as a Heretic under the Kongo law, of course, what she preached would be blasphemy to the catholic who especially believed that firstly God is white.

Her death led to many returning to the catholic church and they were forced to renounce everything they had learned from Kimpa Vita, some though believed that she was alive somewhere and would show up someday.

This queen was beyond amazing, a fearless leader preacher, and activist her time was cut short way too soon but her teachings have lived longer than anyone could have imagined 

Yes Queen Kimpa Vita, the African prophetess