Kongolese Saint Anthony: Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita And The Antonian Movement

One of the greatest things to learn about African History from the book The Kongolese Saint Anthony: Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita and the Antonian Movement, 1684-1706 by John Thornton, is the way religion was introduced and spread throughout Kongo during the 1600’s. There are two main religions throughout the story, the traditional Kongolese and the newly introduced Catholicism. The split between the followers of these religions caused much turmoil and fighting in Kongo.
Catholicism was originally introduced to Kongo by the Portuguese but since the Portuguese were not actually taking over the country, the Kongo people were able to adapt the religion to their own lifestyle without being forced or having to leave behind their traditions. Even after Kongo and Portugal were on hostile terms, due to attempted invasions of Kongo by
Portugal, the Kongos continued to practice and be proud of their Catholicism. However, Catholicism was still a very European idea that came with a lot of changes. Those Kongos who chose to follow the Catholic religion gave up many of their customary Kongolese traditions, somewhat willingly. Catholic Kongos practiced alongside Capuchin priests, who were in Kongo trying to spread the Catholic faith and wanted the Kongos to follow the more European version of Catholicism.
The Kongolese religion was the original religion of the region, created by the people that lived there, and practiced by all Kongos before Catholicism was introduced.
Although more primitive, it in some ways resembled Catholicism. They believed in god, in Jesus, and in saints and sainthood. However, they also believed in spiritual and supernatural gifts. They had people called Nganga Marinda, who they believed could communicate with the supernatural, or the other world. They were said to die at certain times during which the communicated with the supernatural. They were then possessed, by a spirit called a nkita, which was then permanently part of them and worked through them. The Capuchins denounced these traditional beliefs and viewed the ngangas as witches. Dona Beatriz was one of these ngangas. She is said to have been possessed by Saint Anthony, so that he could spread his message through her, which included ending the country’s civil war. Due to the civil war, slave trade in Kongo was at a high. Although Beatriz’s views changed over time, and she was eventually burned as a witch, her followers continued on with her message after her
death.
The significant differences between the Kongolese and Catholic religions make it hard to see how the same group of people could be practicing both faiths. It does explain how having the two in the same area caused so much unrest and violence. It also says a lot about how countries that had long existed on their own could be so affected by the influences of a new country. If Catholicism had not been introduced, it could have saved Kongo a lot of distress; however that also would have kept them from advancing and staying current with the rest of the world.