THE NGUNI HERITAGE OF ARCHBISHOP MILINGO AND HIS ROAD TO PRIESTHOOD

Despite the fact that he was  excommunicated  controversially in 2009, he is a global icon and a spiritual fatherly figure for many. And yet few know of his ancestral roots. Today, we present you with another angle of Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo's life.

Milingo's birth and early life

Although the actual day is contentious,Emmanuel Milingo was born in June, 1930, in the Nguni village of Mnukwa under King Mphezeni, 16 Kilometers from Fort Jameson, named after Leander Starr Jameson. The fourth child and third son in a family that totaled nine, Emmanuel Milingo was the son of Yakobe Chilumbu Milingo and Tomaida Lumbiwe Miti. 

Yakobe Chilumbu Milingo was born in Mnukwa village in 1900 and was the son of parents Mzondwase and Cazaza Milingo Chilumbu. On the other hand, Tomaida Lumbiwe of the Miti clan was born in 1902. Both these parents of Emmanuel Milingo were of the  Ngoni Nation. 

Growing up in a Ngoni society, Milingo grew up under the reign of King Gabriel Chiloah Jele (Mphezeni 2) and his son King Pontino Khuzwayo Jele (Mphezeni 3).  Just like other Ngonis, Milingo too took care of the family cattle; he did this for at least four years. Although initiation ceremonies were still common during the years Milingo was growing, he was not initiated as per Ngoni customs, neither was he enlisted in any traditional Ngoni regiment. In fact under King Mphezeni's land, the last traditional Ngoni regiment was last formed in 1920. 

Christianity is introduced in the Milingo Family

Although, Mphezeni's Ngoniland lagged behind in terms of adopting the European or Missionaries's customs, after 1900, this soon changed as the 'defeat' of the Ngonis in 1898 paved way for the transformation of the Ngoni Society. Different Missionaries entered Ngoniland, the Dutch Reformed Church being one of the very first of such institutions. 

With the banning of the Ncwala, the Ngoni traditional religion was greatly compromised and came the the new Religion called Christianity. For the Milingo family, they too adopted the new Religion. His father, Mr Yakobe was baptized at Kachebere Mission and officially became a Christian in 1923. However, Milingo's mother took time to leave off her traditional religion and would only get baptized in 1938 at the same mission.

Kachebere Seminary sits at the foot of Kalulu Hill. Previously the hill was part of Zambia before a border re-demarcation. In this case, the college initially  sat in both Malawi and Zambia.

Given the fact that Milingo was born when his father had already converted to Christianity, its therefore no surprise that he (Emmanuel Milingo) was himself baptized only when he was around two months or less, by Father Te Maat, a Dutch Missionary of the White Fathers congregation and he was in fact registered under the name Milingo Loth. 

Emmanuel Milingo's journey to Priesthood

With the arrival of the missionaries in Ngoniland, the first schools in the area were established under the umbrella of the Missions. In 1942 when  Milingo was around 12 years old, a Presbyteral  school was opened at St Mary's Mission.  This school was established to replace the existing Chassa one and was opened to prepare future priests by training boys for future for the junior Seminary. 

Milingo who till then had spent much of his time as a cowherder, learned about the opening of this new school from a friend's father who was into catechesis. Milingo and his friend who was the catechist son got immediately interested into this new school.These two would then make a decision on their own to enroll in the school without their parents knowledge. These two young boys would walk to the school which was at least 32 kilometers from their village.

The school authorities were so by the two boys determination that they in no time admitted them and the boys had the blessings and approval of their parents. The school course was a three years program but Milingo did it in two years and by 1944 he was done. Its worthy mentioning that it was at St Mary's that Milingo changed his Lot name to Emmanuel after fully understanding Lot's life in the Bible. 

From 1944 upto 1949, Milingo was at St Teresa's Minor Serminary at Kasina in present day , some 160 Kilometers from his Mnukwa village. It was at this seminary that Tomaida Lumbiwe Miti, Milingos mother passed on at the village. Although he was very close to her, he could not travel for the funeral as he was very far from home. 

Not only was Milingo unable to attend the funeral of his own mother, but his now new Religion forbade him from paying his last respects when he went back to the village after some time. This was evidently against Nguni ways of life as the clan ritualistic customs expected him to have gone to his mothers grave even if he did not attend her funeral.  

This decision to go against the traditions of his people, to respect the teachings of his new found religion haunted Milingo for years as up to this day, he does not know where his mother is buried. In later years, Milingo did accept that his decision at that time was a symptom of his false and shallow attitudes towards the traditions of his Nguni heritage. 

                                                        

Left, Milingo as a student at Kachbere  in Malawi in the 1950s and right is when he was enthroned as Archbishop of Lusaka in 1969. 

In 1949, Milingo completed his studies at Kasina and went on the Major Seminary at Kachbere. Kachbere was established as a mission post in 1903 and was strategically located in the two countries, Zambia and Malawi. In 1939, it became a regional seminary to cater for the training of future priests from Nyasaland and Northern Rhodesia, it was the very first of its kind in the entire Central Africa. 

                                      

Kachebere Mission is located 26 Kilometers from Chipata and 117 Kilometers from Lilongwe. This is the very place where the young King Gabriel Chiloah Jele (Mphezeni) was baptized in 1911. Photo Credit: Austin Madinga. 

Milingo is ordained and his time as Archbishop of Lusaka

In 1955, Milingo left Kachebere for his probational period which was mostly spent at Chikungu. In August 1958, 16 years after Milingo took his first step to priesthood, the long awaited day had arrived for him to be ordained as priest. The colorful ceremony took place at St Mary's Mission. Although they were many interesting activities during this event, the climax was the the Mphezeni Ngunis showcasing their warrior dance called Ingoma, they were in fact led by His Majesty, King Pontino Khuzwayo Jele (Mphezeni 3). 

At the time of his completion of studies, Milingo was 28 years old! He had not only made his family and clan proud but the whole of Mnukwa village was in a celebratory mood at he successfully completed his program. 

Although he had not been posted far from his ancestral land, Milingo was soon sent abroad for further studies. Fresh from his overseas study, Milingo started working in his home town of Chipata at St Annes. But in 1965, he was transferred to Lusaka. 

His charisma and somehow unconventional way of doing things was in fact scaling him high on the ladder of success as a Priest. Soon, in 1969, Milingo learned in shock that he had been appointed as the first indigenous Zambian to be the Archbishop of Lusaka. 

                                    

It is important to appreciate the fact that although, his education had changed much about him and his perspectives of life, he never completely detached from his Nguni heritage. In fact he had come under fire for introducing Ingoma songs and incorporating them in the Catholic Church choirs. 

He is now 91 and despite such bright and unrivaled career with the Roman Catholic Church, Milingo was excommunicated after his marriage to Maria Sung.