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Afonso I of the Kongo to Manuel I of Portugal regarding the Burning of “The Great House of Idols”

Kongo Kingdom

Not on view

While the priests who delivered the sacraments in the Kingdom of Kongo were for the most part European, education by Kongo schoolmasters disseminated Afonso’s interpretation of Christianity integrated with indigenous belief. Practices deemed antisocial, such as witchcraft, were persecuted, as evident in this letter that refers to the destruction of minkisi (power objects) of banganga (pre-Christian Kongo priests).

Afonso I of the Kongo to Manuel I of Portugal regarding the Burning of “The Great House of Idols”, Ink on paper, 10 folios, Kongo Kingdom

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