Beatriz Kimpa Vita was born near Mount Kibangu in the Kingdom of
Kongo, now a part of modern Angola around 1684. She was born into a
family of the Kongo nobility, probably of the class called Mwana
Kongo, and was probably baptized soon after, as Kongo had been a
Catholic kingdom for two centuries. Some modern scholars believe
that she was connected to King António I (1661-65), who died at the
battle of Mbwila (Ulanga) in 1665, because his Kikongo name Vita a
Nkanga connects with her name. However, she cannot have been a
child of his, given her birth date, and the naming theory is not
supported, nor does any contemporary document mention it.
At the time of her birth, Kongo was torn by civil war. These
wars had started shortly after the death of António I and had
resulted in the abandonment of the ancient capital of São Salvador
(present day Mbanza Kongo) in 1678 and the division of the country
by rival pretenders to the throne.
According to her testimony, given at an inquest on her life and
reported by the Capuchin missionary Bernardo da Gallo, Beatriz had
visions even as a youth, and her high spirits and otherworldly
outlook caused her two youthful marriages to fail and led her
deeper into a spiritual life. Kimpa Vita was trained as nganga
marinda, a person said to be able to communicate with the
supernatural world. The nganga marinda was connected to the kimpasi
cult, a healing cult that flourished in late seventeenth century
Kongo. However, sometime around 1700, she renounced her role and
moved closer to the views of the Catholic Church.
Att. Mazieta Jùnior - ANGOLA - LUANDA
