Dona Beatriz Research Paper

Dona Beatriz was an influential figure in the Kongolese society that led a religious movement. Born into a higher-class family known as the Mwana Kongo, Dona’s family was much more respected. Growing up as a young child, Dona had a special gift to be able to speak to the Otherworld. She was trained as a nganga marinda, which led her to spiritually get more involved with the Otherworld. After her two marriages failed, she wanted to focus more on her spirituality and that is what she did. She started the Antonian movement, which later failed. When Dona became sick in 1704, she claimed to be possessed by Saint Anthony, which led her to die in her old body and be resurrected as Saint Anthony. This led to her leading a different and a new view of Catholicism. Unfortunately Dona was captured and burned at the stake with her baby. …show more content…
Sao Salvador was the city the Kongolese were protecting because it was a Holy city to them. To the Kongolese people, Dona was an answered prayer from God because after she was possessed she rose up and said she would save the city. Her message to the church became so powerful to the people that it threatened the Catholic Church. “Dona Beatriz’ message fitted their own ideology of an ideal society” which later we see many things started to fail as hunger struck the city (138). Dona preached the message according to what God told her to preach saying that Jesus was indeed African, that she was resurrected every Friday and came back on Monday, marriages and baptism are meaningless to God, etc. This not only brought the Catholic Church to disagree with her, they believed that she was possessed by a demon. This mission had failed because she became a threat to the Portuguese. She was put to death because they believed her ideologies where not radical and she was a