Nzinga Mbemba (King Affonso), Letters to the King of Portugal, 1526 Which event in African history is described in this passage? above. What And to avoid it we We beg of Your Highness as a great favor to do this for us, because besides being good in itself it is in the service of God as we have said above. Introduction - Mbemba to King of Portugal In 1483, the Portuguese sailor Diogo Cao arrived at the mouth of the Congo River, claiming Africa for Portugal under the authority granted that kingdom by the Vatican. Why did Nzinga Mbemba send letters to Portugal? While a trading relationship had been in place between Portugal and Kongo since the 1480s, Afonso was increasingly unhappy that the relationship between both countries had degenerated into one in which the slave trade had become increasingly important. he was not interested in stopping all blacks from becoming slaves, only those he didnt, He asked for medicine and doctors which he claimed would help, his people, but in reality he thought he could stop the insubordination of his subjects by. ", par. (1) exploration of the African interior (2) discovery of gold mines in Nigeria (3) Belgium's takeover of the Congo (4) Atlantic slave trade. Instead, Columbus and his men stumbled upon the Americas, thus marking the beginning of European intervention and globalization. showing them that he was capable of bringing European culture and goods to Kongo. King successfully employed the use of Logos, Pathos, and Ethos by arguing back on legal, historical, and political grounds., In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail from jail in Birmingham, Alabama in response to a public statement issued by eight white clergyman calling his actions unwise and untimely. He began to make Kongo into modernized country by building schools and he adopted Portugueses manners and style of dress. In the excerpt below, Nzinga Mbemba (Afonso I), the king of the Kongo, writes to the Portuguese king to express his concern over the damaging effects of the slave trade. But if the, Sir, Your Highness has been kind enough to write to us saying that we should ask in our letters for anything, Do not sell or share my personal information. The story . To persuade his readers, Martin Luther King, Jr. appeals to his own reputation and wisdom. Actually, it began with trading slaves between Africa and Portugal, but as time engages by, the needs for the slaves is getting bigger because of the succesful sugar plantation. Atlantic Slave trade The Portuguese showed clear contempt for King Afonsos attitude. While this intervention brought together several diverse cultures, the Europeans dominating nature encouraged several conflicts between countries. King Manuel of Portugal supplied missionaries, teachers and craftsmen to his African counterpart who paid for their services in copper and ivory. Dr. King wrote, This wait has almost always meant never. This is why Dr. king addresses this matter in a letter about the battle of segregation. https://wipokuli.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/crimes-on-congo-part-1-from-destruction-to-destroyed-independence/, The Cancer of Betrayal by Amilcar Cabral, LOiseau en Libert / The Free Bird de Claude-Joseph MBafou-Zetebeg, A bientt fier guerrier: Jean Paul Yitamben et le microcosme de la fragmentation de lAfrique, So long Proud Warrior: Jean Paul Yitamben and the Microcosm of Africas Fragmentation, Marcher dans les pas de lautre / Walking a mile in ones shoes, Impossible de changer qui on est / You cannot change who you are, Partager la peine des autres / Proverb on Shared Pain, Young Togolese builds 44 Car by Himself all from Scrap Materials, The Lebombo Bone: The Oldest Mathematical Artifact in the World, The Ishango Bone: Craddle of Ancient Mathematics, "The Cancer of Betrayal" by Amilcar Cabral. The clergy man feel that king is not and should not interfere with what is happening in the south. To lessen Afonsos concerns, the king [of Portugal] suggested sending two men to a designated point in the city to monitor who was being traded and who could object to any sale involving a subject of Afonsos kingdom. Nzinga a Nkuwu took the Christian name of Joo I in honor of Portugal's king at the time, Joo II. The King of Kongo who was a converted catholic idealized the Portuguese lifestyle and their religion but when they started exploiting his people especially his courtiers and noblemen and created widespread unrest did he speak out. He also uses inartistic and artistic appeals at his attempt to persuade his readers in his Letter from Birmingham Jail., It is mentioned that Nzinga Mbemba is the real name of King Affonso, he changed his name when he converted his religion into Christianity. Instructors: CLICK HERE to request a free trial account (only available to college instructors) Primary Source Readers. If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! their products, and their promotion of slavery severely disrupted Kongolese society. On the tragic History of Congo, see also: Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2007. the white men who are in our Kingdoms; and for this purpose they have concealed them; and To understand the context of the letters it is important to understand the historical background and the nature of Portuguese venture in Africa in general and Kongo what is now Angola and Former Zaire. Jadin, Louis and Mireille Decorato, eds. Edict expelling Jesuit Missionaries (1587) IV. This source is a part of the Christianity and Slavery in the Kingdom of Kongo, 1480s-1520s teaching module. Furthermore, Dr. King had four steps to achieve his goals by collecting facts, negotiation, self-purification, and direct, On April 16, 1963, from the jail of Birmingham, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote an extensive letter to eight clergymen who attacked his work for civil rights in a public statement released on April 12, 1963. These letters were written in the year 1526. If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors. Documents from the African Past. He described Affonso as a good Christian who God has spoken to him to converted Kongo into Christian so that God would have His blessings over Kongo. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. He is called "the Apostle of Kongo" because of his role in making Kongo a Christian Kingdom. Then, The Portugese tried to drive Congolese from their cultures, rituals, religion by sending some priests there just like what they did when they went to Benin. Afonso encouraged conversion to Christianity within his kingdom and envisioned even greater state expansion through their partnership with the Portuguese which in the long run destabilized the Kongo kingdom. That year, Afonso created a commission to investigate the origin of any individual who was to be given as a slave. We shall do them all good and shall benefit them by all means, since they are sent by Your He requests the King only send missionaries and not send anymore merchandise.The letter reveals the anger and . The Portuguese were also assisting brigands in Kongo and illegally purchasing free people as slaves. King replies to the clergymen and call them men of genuine good will, to show his peaceful manner. Contact between Portugal and the West African kingdom of Kongo began in 1483; It was during the reign of Afonso that relations between Congo and the Portuguese became more active, to the benefit of both countries. Davidson, Basil . Who Highness, whom we thank for your work in their coming. Looking for a flexible role? Twenty-four letters were written in all -- three are reproduced here. In the last years of his reign, the debate over who would succeed him led to considerable political maneuvering, including an assassination attempt on his life by several Portuguese. The Kongo port of Mpinda developed into a trade center with the primary exchange being enslaved Africans for European cloth and metal goods. What steps had Afonso taken to deal with the problems caused by the Portuguese? With new plantations in Sao Tome requiring workers in huge numbers, the hunger for slaves grew, and soon after, it became uncontrollable. He explains that he doesnt need to be from, In a statement recently issued by yourselves concerning Mr. Kings behavior in Birmingham Alabama describing him as an outsider and extremist of his ways was inconsiderate as well as rude. And we cannot reckon how great the damage is, since the mentioned merchants are taking every day our natives, sons of the land and the sons of our noblemen and vassals and our relatives, because the thieves and men of bad conscience grab them wishing to have the things and wares of this Kingdom which they are ambitious of, they grab them and get them to be sold; and so great, Sir, is the corruption and licentiousness that our country is being completely depopulated, and Your Highness should not agree with this nor accept it as in your service. Let me state that I am also learning a lot from you! children, relatives and natives owing to the lack in this country of physicians and surgeons who During his reign, Afonso extended Kongos relations with Portugal, reaching an agreement (the Regimento, 1512) with Manuel I of Portugal by which the Kongo accepted Portuguese institutions, granted extraterritorial rights to Portuguese subjects, and supplied slaves to Portuguese traders. The interesting thing is that even the noblemen and their sons were kidnapped by the Portuguese to do the plantation. justice and to restore to the freemen their freedom, but it cannot be done if your subjects feel Finally, he appeals to logic, supported with evidence and citations from influential thinkers. King Mvemba a Nzinga, most commonly known as Afonso I of Kongo, or Nzinga Mbemba, was a Kongo king who ruled over the Kongo Empire from 1509 to late 1542 or 1543. If you were asked to do a rough work but by someone else without him or her giving to you anything in return, would you do it? 15th century. King however, answers them by arguing why African Americans in Birmingham will and should participate in the movement, famously quoting that Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere (233). Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blogs author/ owner is strictly prohibited. He was trying to say by using this quote that that some laws are unreasonable and should not be followed if they are not fair or equal and do not help or protect the people. In the other hand, in Kongo, the king was less formal, so little by little King Nzinga a Nkuwu started to get the attraction of the Christian religion. While in the work Commentary on Foreigners (ca. Nzinga Mbemba to the King of Portugal (1526) Introduction - Mbemba to King of Portugal. 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