A funding project for the celebration of the tercentenary
of an African martyr.
Dona Beatrice
Kimpa Vita
Vim Nzabi
- Project Coordinator
Charlotte,
NC (BlackNews.com) - While celebrating Black History
Month, many recall to the African Diaspora and to any
interested person that this year, 2006, will be celebrated
in July the 300th anniversary of the martyr of Dona
Beatrice Kimpa Vita in Africa.
Who
Was Dona Beatrice Kimpa Vita?
She was not a queen, but she has accomplished more than
most of the African queens magnified by some western
historians, because she is the first woman who courageously
fought the European domination in Africa. Also, she
is not an exotic "African Joan of Arc" as some persons
affirm.
Beatrice Kimpa Vita was born in 1684 in the kingdom
of Kongo. In 1704, at the age of 20 years, she started
her non-violent mission of the liberation and the restoration
of the kingdom, destroyed by the Portuguese. She fought
all the forms of slavery, from of the local practices
as well that linked to the European domination; she
adapted the Christianity to the African realities, teaching
people that there are also Blacks saints in the paradise,
contradicting the catholic priests who taught that there
should ONLY be WHITE SAINTS; she led thousands of people
to rebuild and to repopulate Mbanza Kongo, the capital,
whereas the King Pedro IV, imposed by the catholic church,
had taken refuge in the mountains. That is a rare phenomenon,
in a social context where the women were supposed being
submissive to the men. In July 2, 1706, the so-called
"fathers" Bernardo da Gallo and Lorenzo da Luca burned
her into a stake, with her companion and their baby,
according to rules of the "VERY HOLY" Inquisition. In
1710, they sent a report of their «mission» to the pope,
after having organized the persecution of her adepts.
The
Impact of Her Action
In 1739, some of her followers, sold in America, carried
out the revolt well known as the "rebellion of Stono"
in South Carolina, and her teachings inspired the action
of the Kongo slaves, during the revolt which led to
the independence of Haiti in 1804.
Nowadays, Dona Beatrice is regarded as a prophetess
and a symbol of the non-violent resistance in Africa,
inspiring many political and religious leaders in Congo
and in Angola. In fact, she is the founder of the first
Black Christian movement in the sub-Saharan Africa.
Importance
and Interest of Her Rehabilitation
The French people rehabilitated Jeanne d' Arc (Joan
of Arc) five centuries after her death. She then became
"Sainte Jeanne d' Arc"(Saint-Joan of Arc), in spite
of the controversy around her life. Dona Beatrice Kimpa
Vita was a victim of the religious intolerance and the
racism trough the religion. Indeed, she was innocent,
according to laws of her country and the biblical principles.
Unfortunately for her (and for us?), the pope Paul VI
had rejected a request of her rehabilitation in 1966.
Thus, most of us think that no rehabilitation from the
Vatican is needed to pay tribute to her memory. The
Africans and the Africans descendants must deal with
this case and raise awareness, throughout the world,
of Dona Beatrice's place in the History.
What
Are We Doing?
For the tercentenary, our committee, based in Europe
and the United States, has developed the following plan:
1) to publish books on Dona Beatrice (the manuscript
are ready)
2) to create an online library with educational resources
on the history of the region, in four languages;
3) to produce a film, (the manuscript is ready);
4) to hold conferences throughout 2006.
Your
Participation and/or Support Are Needed
Join us to face this challenge. We need your participation
or your support to rewrite and to put in the right place,
this part of the African history. You can join our team,
program a meeting, a conference or an event with us
or make a donation. We need: volunteers to sensitize
their communities, illustrators, entertainers and sponsors.
Contacts
To express your interest or to make an online donation,
go to the web page www.vim-nzabi.net/index.html
and fill out the form at bottom of the web page for
all queries. For all donations of $20.00 or more, we
will send you back a copy of the picture book "Twas
all because of a nose" by Vim Nzabi. To send a check
or money order, contact Madeleine at 704-717-7057 (home)
or 704-421-5450 (cell.)
To schedule a meeting, an event or a conference (in
the USA), contact Justin at 704-777-7668 and Elie M.
at 336-202-6794, or fill out the form at the bottom
of the web page www.vim-nzabi.net/index.html
"To
break the hunter's lies, the lion must tell, himself,
his story, with his own words." (African proverb)
PRESS
CONTACT:
Victor M. Nzabi
adm@vim-nzabi.net
Madeleine Dieya 704-421-5450
B. Justin M. 704-777-7668
Email
This Article To A Friend
