West-Central Africa 121In 1739, some of her followers who were sold as slaves
to America carried out a revolt known as the Stono Rebel-
lion in South Carolina. More recently, some see present-day
Kimbanguism as a successor to Dona Beatriz’s teaching. Its
followers claim that she came back in September 12, 1887,
in the body of Simon Kimbangu. Traditions circulating in
Mbanza Kongo today also place great signifi cance in the
role of Dona Beatriz’s mother as a source of inspiration
for her and also as a key fi gure in the continuation of the
movement, but contemporary sources make no mention of
this. Even though some see her as an “African Joan of Arc,”
Pope Paul VI had rejected a request of her rehabilitation
in 1966.
See also: Kongo Kingdom; Stono Rebellion; West-Central
AfricaCarmen De MicheleBibliography
Th ornton. John. Th e Kongolese Saint Anthony: Donna Beatriz
Kimpa Vita and the Antonian Movement, 1 684– 1 706. Cam-
bridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1998.West-Central Africa
Th e region referred to as West-Central Africa is at times
discussed as a lower, coastal extension of West Africa. Th e
region comprises the countries of Angola, Benin, Camer-
oon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, and Ni-
geria. From the tropical rainforests of Equatorial Guinea
to the Congo River basin and the desert landscapes of the
Sudan, the region is geographically diverse.
Th e region was colonized during the 16th through
19th centuries by various European powers, including
France, Belgium, Portugal, and Britain. European languages
still used for commerce and education in these areas in-
clude French, Portuguese, and English. Major exports of
the region include coff ee, cocoa, rubber, and timber. In
addition, this west-central region of Africa contains some
of Africa’s richest areas for unlicensed oil (petroleum) and
mineral exploration (namely iron ore).
Many slaves who ended up in the United States were
from West-Central Africa. Others came from Mozambique
and Madagascar (formerly French and Portuguese colo-
nies). Slaves were captured from certain areas more thanAft er 1705, they mostly traveled in pairs to the provinces.
Th ey were expelled out of the coastal province of Soyo, but
they were much more successful in the dissident southern
part of Soyo and Mbamba Lovata. Th ere, they won many
converts, especially among partisans of the old queen Su-
zana de Nóbrega. Th eir preaching was linked to Dona Beat-
riz’s, but it soon took local patterns that altered her message.
While the Kongolese nobility rejected the Little Anthonys,
they were able to win over masses of common people. In
one case, two Little Anthonys had persuaded a whole dis-
trict to stop baptizing their children. Dona Beatriz said in
her famous preaching Salve Antoniana that baptism was
not necessary, as God would know the intention in their
hearts.
Dona Beatriz started to preach a new era of wealth
in her sermons and her noble followers started to see her
movement as a potential to gain political power. Th e An-
tonian movement was becoming involved in the politics of
the kingdom and the political authorities were no longer
able to control the forces that had been unleashed by her
preaching.
In 1704, Dona Beatriz started a close relationship
with a man named João Barro, who became her Guard-
ian Angel, also known as Saint John. She became preg-
nant twice, but aborted with herbal medicine. In 1705, she
became pregnant a third time and the medicine failed to
work. Since she preached that her followers and the Little
Anthonys should lead a life in chastity, her pregnancy be-
came a problem and she began to doubt her mission. To
keep her pregnancy secret, she left São Salvador until she
gave birth to a boy called Antonio.
In 1706, shortly aft er she gave birth, Dona Beatriz to-
gether with Apollonia Mafuta, João Barro, and their new-
born son were captured and brought to the temporary
capital of Evululu. Th ere they were condemned as heretic to
death by burning. She was tried under Kongolese law (not
the law of the Church) by a council of the Capuchin friars
Bernardo da Gallo, Lorenzo da Lucca, and Manuel da Cruz
Barbosa. Th e execution took place on July 2, 1706. Th e life
of Antonio, her child, was spared.
Th e Antonians had a strong local organization and
could outlive Dona Beatriz. Many of her followers believed
that she was still alive. It was only in 1709 when the military
forces of Pedro IV took São Salvador that the political force
of her movement vanished. Most of her noble followers re-
turned to the beliefs of the Catholic Church.