In addition to telling a compelling story of one young woman’s experience in a tumultuous period history, Thornton’s study of Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita extends an invitation to think about the relationship between religion, state power, and the actions of individuals.
Why was Dona Beatriz able to attract so many followers?
How was Thornton able to tell her story?
Can you think of parallel examples of charismatic religious figures who emerged in times of crisis?
I find Dona Beatriz an interesting figure due to the fact that she perfectly represents the sort of religious and cultural syncretism that occurred – and had occurred for centuries – in Kongo. On one hand she had a background in the traditional beliefs of the Kongolese people, yet on the other hand she argued for a new version of what was once a foreign religion, Christianity. This sort of religious and cultural syncretism is very, very common throughout history, and one that I have come across in other historical contexts as well. For instance, while taking a classes on Zoroastrianism and Iranian history with Professor Daryaee, we studied the cultural and religious syncretism that took place in Iran in the early medieval period following the Arab Muslim conquests – charismatic figures such as Babak combined ideas from both Islam and Persia’s native religion, Zoroastrianism, as a way to create an ideology to support their quest to overthrow their Arabic overlords. In a similar vein, the Taiping Rebllion of the 1800s was one of the most violent and brutal civil wars in Chinese history – it started when an unsuccessful Confucian scholar, well-seeped in the traditional Confucian, Taoist, and Buddhist beliefs of China, believed himself to be the brother of Jesus. He then started a revolt that sought to bring a new, ‘heavenly kingdom’ to China, to replace the decaying, ruined Qing Dynasty that ruled at the time. In these two cases – that of early medieval Iran and 19th century China – we see situations similar to that of Dona Beatriz. We have new religious ideas (Islam and Christianity, respectively) interacting with that of old ones (Zoroastrianism and the three beliefs of China, respectively), in a time of upheaval (the loss of territory and rule in Iran to the Arab Muslims, and a swiftly declining and corrupt state in China) – and likewise, a charismatic, rebellious figure arises to claim that they, divinely guided, will bring back peace and end these times of trouble.
To add, what I’m wondering here is whether there is a definite pattern here. I’m only discussing three instances of similar “rebellions” above, but do these imply that some larger historical trend exists when it comes to religious interaction and upheaval? To put it another way, does religious syncretism and political upheaval go well together?
In my opinion they do go well together because with the use of political upheaval there are normally going to be a group of people that do not agree with one another. With the use of religion especially with the use of syncretism, governments area able to join people. They are able to create a group of people that are willing to work together. They make the people believe in a common belief, and what is stronger belief then that of religion. It is one of the most compelling ways to engage people to work with one another.
I think one aspect of the Dona Beatriz case which was particularly interesting was the connection between the political and religious aspects of society. Dona Beatriz gained a large following of people, particularly commoners due to her message which was spiritual but nonetheless political as well as it advocated for the restoration of a new Kongo. The combination of religious authority, with a woman claiming Christ was black, and the oppression of the common people was a combination for a following of Dona Beatriz.
Dona Beatriz Kimpa Vita is a really good example when looking at the effects that an individual’s actions can have on a religion and on a state’s political system. There are multiple reasons as to why Dona Beatriz was able to attract a significant following. One reason is because she was born into a noble family in the Kingdom of Kongo, this in itself was enough to gain someone certain social privileges. Another reason she was accepted was because she had been able to communicate with spirits from a young age. A final reason Dona Beatriz was able to secure as many followers as she did was simply because she followed the basic teachings of the Catholic Church, but with a Kongolese twist. This twist was popular because, as my classmate John states, “she proclaimed a revised history of the church which was more suitable to the beliefs of the common people of Kongo.”
It seems that my other classmates have already mentioned Joan of Arc, who lead the French to many victories after they had already been defeated multiple times (this is probably due to Prof. Mitchell pointing out the similarity in lecture), so I will use the Catholic Saint Peter as an example. After Jesus was crucified, his Apostles and other followers were left without any real sense of direction for their beliefs. Peter took it upon himself to spread the New Testament throughout the troublesome Roman Empire. The efforts of Peter are noted today as he is considered the First Pope of the Catholic Church and has been noted as one of the most influential individuals in history.
4) Dona Beatriz was able to attract as many followers as she did for many reasons. First, she had been known as a special sort of spiritual being from the time she was little. Her community believed she had a connection to the divine world that was unique to very few individuals. This undisputed connection gave her some legitimacy right off the bat. Secondly, the existing Kongolese government consisted of continuously warring kings who were attempting to coexist with Christian (Capuchin) colonists. Dona Beatriz’ attempts to modernize her culture by fusing it with this new Christian culture provided followers an easier solution to coexistence than their royalty. Her family was connected to royalty anyway, so her ideas were viewed as some to be respected because of her societal status. Thirdly, she specifically stated St. Anthony as her possessor. Since he was the most important saint within their tradition, it was a big deal to say he walked among them- it’s not something they expect someone to lie about. Thornton was able to tell her story in a way that sounded like a straight copy of the Kongolese oral history. I may have misunderstood this, but it was written as someone might speak it. Some parallel examples to Dona Beatriz are Joan of Arc (as Prof. Mitchell mentioned in class), Moses from the Bible, and Mohammed prophet of Islam.
Dona Beatriz was a fascinating figure because she represents a different aspect of history that may often not be as thoroughly studied. The way that she claimed St. Anthony was the most important saint and that saints didn’t have to be from Europe or the Holy Land demonstrates how religion syncretism plays an active role in the way in which societies are formed. There are definite Christian influences, but other religious influences as well. Some may look down upon Dona Beatriz as being “false” (and her execution indicates that she was a “heretic”), but really, her story deserves as much validity as is given to other religious stories/claims. And the fact that she claimed that the Kongo was the true Holy Land would likely not be met with much enthusiasm today, but again, I think she definitely deserves as much validity as any other significant figure in history. If Dona Beatriz’s history was more widely spread, how would it be received among westerners who don’t have much idea as to who she is? How well-known was she in other countries besides the Kongo, or outside of the African continent?
If her movement was more widespread in her time, I think it only would have been discussed and not adhered to. What I mean is it may have been an interesting point in conversation within other countries, but most societies were very content in their own religion and had no reason to search for another. Except for the split of the Catholic church in Europe, there has been little instance that I have heard of that caused a whole society to adopt another religion (or fuse theirs with another religion like the Kongo)- and even the changes made in European culture remained under the Christian header. As to your other question, it’s hard to answer. How well-known was Dona outside of the Kongo? She may have appeared in others’ discussions of foreign news but from my knowledge of world history she must not have made any significant global impact.
Regarding the topic of religious syncretism, we see this example with Dona Beatriz where the Kongolese people come into contact with Christianity from the Portugese. We also see in other examples like the character Eva in Wells’ writing where her practice of Christianity is not the same as her Dutch counterparts.
Do you think that because religions were with growing popularity and the movement of people was so large in Africa’s early history that religious syncretism was more common? I can’t think of any examples in current global times where we see religions changing, but maybe I am not opening my eyes wide enough.
I think that religious syncretism was probably more common during eras of colonialism, or periods of times in which settlers were moving to new areas with different religions. It’s probably still occurring today, though we may not notice it as much because it’s likely more noticeable after an extended period of time–say 50 years or more. Or perhaps it’s occurring in areas that we aren’t even aware of.
In the beginning of the book, baptism is described as “she ate salt.” This reminded me of the superstition of throwing salt over your left shoulder for good luck. Along with the Christian belief that salt kept evil away, would it be possible to infer that because salt is a resourceful trade item in Africa and because it is used in baptism practices, that this would also be another influence to the followers to believe in their close lineage to Christianity?
Nina I think you make a very interesting claim. I think that one could make that inference that followers believe in their close lineage to Christianity because of the use of salt. As we have learned throughout the course, salt was a powerful trade item on the continent. At first I thought that the use of salt in baptisms could have been a ploy to get Africans to practice Christianity, but upon further research I found that it was not the case. I found this website: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13403b.htm. Because of this, I do not think that Christians used salt in their baptism rituals to get Africans to convert, but I do think it could have been a factor for Africans to convert because of their strong relationship to salt.
When reading Thornton’s book, I was fascinated by the premise and believe that Dona Beatriz’s story is truly remarkable. I find the juxtaposition between the Italian Capuchin missionaries and Dona Beatriz particularly interesting. Although the presence of Saint Anthony in the head of this young woman had a Christian basis, the Capuchin missionaries still remain unsatisfied with her apparent peace movements. They were not willing to accept her claims regarding black saints or the fact that Jesus was black, along with many other claims that would place the Kongolese at the center of the religion. Understandably, these missionaries were also uneasy about the mix of religious syncretism, which resulted in practices that did not correlate perfectly to their ways of life. In a way, I think the work and persecution of Dona Beatriz can act as a parallel to the ministry of Jesus Christ, one that involves the vocal persecution by religious elites and the eventual torture and murder of the prophet. Both were defying the religious counsel, but doing so in a peaceful manner that attracted many people. Thornton, through his depiction of her story, creates a strong sense of sympathy for the young woman, causing the audience to feel that Dona Beatriz’s death was unnecessary and an act of great wrong.
According to Thornton also, Dona Beatriz was able to attract a large following because she introduced a new version of faith into the Kongo. She proclaimed a revised history of the church which was more suitable to the beliefs of the common people of Kongo. Additionally this is why the capuchins charged her with heresy and one of the reasons why she was burned at the stake.
The popularity of the Antonian movement can be attributed to two main factors. Commoners, who made up most of Dona Beatriz’s followers, were most affected by a war-torn Kongo. Gradually, the demands of war waged by the Kongolese nobility took its toll on the villagers who provided their services and resources. Also, although Dona Beatriz was from the nobility, she was respected from a young age. She was seen as a gifted person, one who had contact with spirits from the other world and who could use her abilities to serve as a spiritual counselor for her community for good. As a child Dona Beatriz had visions which singled her out in her community as someone special. She came to have kindoki or the ability to communicate and have power of spirits from the other world. As a nganga marinda, Dona Beatriz sought to resolve communal problems. She was then chosen to join the secret Kimpasi society in which members were reborn again with a nkita or a guardian deity inside of them that took care of the community. These Kimpasi members “remained important in their communities, above the law and sometimes feared by their neighbors by virtue of the knowledge they had gained,” (58). Since by the time Dona Beatriz claimed to have been possessed by Saint Anthony she was already a well-respected person, it was easy for people to revere and follow her.
Nina, your post really hits the nail on the head. Dona Beatriz was able to attract so many followers for a number of reasons. As a child, Dona Beatriz was known to be different from the people around her. This difference was seen as a good thing and as Thornton alludes, Dona Beatriz was known as a healer in the community who could communicate with the Kongolese spiritual world.
When Dona Beatriz was very sick and on the verge of death, the spirit of Saint Anthony used her weakness to inhabit her body. People believed this and it helped her gain followers because the idea of death and rebirth is a part of both Kongolese and Christian religious traditions. So this scene of Dona Beatriz’s body being taken over was quite convincing.
To add to her followers, Kongo was at a state of war with multiple competing political powers. Because she was so respected from such a young age and used her spiritual abilities for good within the community, the religious verbiage she spoke began to pull people’s allegiance from the competing political powers because the message of Saint Anthony was one of peace.
Lastly, Dona Beatriz’s doctrine was largely religious syncretism, playing to the community surrounding her. She and her followers embraced Catholicism but Dona Beatriz (or Saint Anthony) emerged with a new view of it. This refreshed version of Catholicism really helped Dona Beatriz attract her followers.
Dona Beatriz was able to attract so many followers because she was following the spirit of St. Anthony who was the second patron saint. Also she was saying a lot of things that were possibly relevant to the Kongolese people, heaven being for Africans, Jesus being from Kongo, etc.
One charismatic religious figure is Joan of Arc, who was visited at the age of 13 by Saint Michael, Saint Catherine, and Saint Margaret, who told her to drive out the English and bring the Dauphin to Reims for his coronation. She too was burned at the stake for heresy when she was just 19 years old.