Religion and Ritual

This book does provide a lens into the idea of mysticism and the Catholic Church's was against heresy in the African provinces. The biggest misnomer of the imperial governments that carved up Africa was that the inhabitants of Africa were heathens lacking any knowledge because they did not subscribe to the same ideas of religion as the Europeans. What Thornton shows us is that prior to Catholic conversion the Kongolese people did in fact have their own religions, governments and laws. Thornton also gives the reader insight into how the Kongolese people took Catholicism and made it their own much as other Africans did when they were exposed to other forms of religion.

The one person that I was at odds with throughout the entire book was Father Marcellino, who had no respect for the rituals of the Kongolese people. He seemed to come form a place of superiority rather than the humility expected of a monk. His insistence on the King of the Kong removing his mpu stating that if he did not take it off he would be "a heretic, a Jew, and not a Catholic Christian if he does not submit and disobeys by keeping his head covered" (p.66). Much as this priest would not insist on the King of Spain removing his crown, he saw no issue with disrespecting this man. I believe that this is just a small incident but it is one inherent to the colonization of Africa and the disregard that Europeans had for the native people and their rituals.

The possession of Dona Beatriz by Saint Anthony which creates this religious movement was one in a series of possession narratives from this time period. Her illness, "death" and resurrection follows the path that Jesus took and is indicative to the idea that she had become Saint Anthony. The idea of possession either good or evil is a topic that has fascinated people for centuries, and Dona Beatriz's possession is just one of many. The thing I believe that makes her unique is that the movement Antonian movement that was created became quite large whereas in other procession stories the person possessed usually is an outcast with a very small following.

I enjoyed the book and its narrative style made it easy to read and follow even though the story line is not specifically about Dona Beatriz. Instead the main themes seem to be Catholicism and the government of the Kongo rather that Dona Beatriz possession by Saint Anthony and the Antonian movement. But I do believe that it provides the reader a lens to look though that gives a better understanding of late 16th century Kongo and its inhabitants.