Some masemola

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Statue of Manche Masemola (center) - Westminster Abbey

Some Masemola (* 1913 in Marishane ; † February 4, 1928 ) is a Christian martyr who was murdered because of her belief by her parents, who followed a traditional African religion . She belonged to the Pedi tribe and lived in Marishane, Sukhukhuneland , a small village near Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg), in the Limpopo Province in South Africa .

Life and martyrdom

Masemola, whose birthday is not known exactly, grew up with her parents, along with two brothers, her sister Mabule and a cousin, Lucia. She did not receive any school education, but instead helped the family with work on the barren land and with the household.

Through the work of first German and later English missionaries , a Christian minority had emerged among the Pedi by the beginning of the 20th century, which was suspected by the remaining tribal members who continued to follow the traditional tribal religion. In Marishane, the village chief was open to the work of missionaries from all churches. 1919 brother Augustine Moeka of the Anglican Congregation Community of the Resurrection built a mission station in the village. Some Masemola and her cousin Lucia came into contact with Christianity through his preaching. They began attending classes on the Christian faith twice a week in preparation for baptism.

Masemola's parents feared that their daughter would leave them and therefore not marry the man she had chosen, which would mean losing an important source of money. They tried to dissuade their daughter from the chosen path, but they did not succeed. When the prohibitions did not work, they began to beat their daughter, including a. every time she came home from a church visit. Her mother also hid Masemola's clothes to keep her from attending Christian classes. Thinking she was bewitched, her parents took her to a spirit priest, who prescribed a traditional remedy for her. Her parents beat Masemola to take the medicine. Masemola mentioned several times to her cousin and brother Moeka that she was concerned that their parents would kill them.

On or around February 4, 1928, Manche Masemola was taken to a lonely place by her parents and murdered. She was buried next to a block of granite on a remote slope without having been baptized. Only a few days later, her sister Mabule fell ill and died soon after in the nearby Jane Furse Mission Hospital . Mabule was buried near her sister. Over 40 years later, in 1969, Masemola's mother was baptized.

Commemoration

Masemola was declared a martyr by the Anglican Church of Southern Africa in less than ten years . In 1935, 1941 and 1949 small groups of Christians made pilgrimages to Masemola's grave. In 1975 she was canonized as a saint and was added to the saints calendar of this particular Church for February 4th. Hundreds of them now make a pilgrimage to her grave every August.

Masemola is one of the ten martyrs of the 20th century from around the world depicted as statues above the west portal of Westminster Abbey in London . The statue of Manche Masemola, designed by John Roberts, was unveiled to the public in 1998.

In November 2017, the Limpopo Province government unveiled a redesigned monument on the site where Masemola died.

In Namakgale , an Anglican church was named after Manche Masemola.

Web links

literature

Frederick Quinn: African Saints: Saints, Martyrs, and Holy People from the Continent of Africa . New York: Crossroads Publishing Company, 2002.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Timeline Some Masemola PDF files on www.bbc.co.uk
  2. ↑ a b Frederick Quinn: Masemola, Manche (A). In: Dictionary of African Christian Biography (DACB) (accessed January 4, 2019)
  3. ↑ a b c Information about Manche Masemola and the statue on the Westminster Abbey website
  4. ↑ Govt unveil Masemola's monument. On SABC News Online, November 25, 2017 (accessed January 14, 2018)
  5. ↑ Manchi Masemola Pilgrimage 2015 on the website of the Diocese of St Mark the Evangelist (accessed: January 14, 2018)
  6. ↑ Information on MyAnglican - Church Management System
personal data
SURNAME Masemola, Manche
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African martyr
DATE OF BIRTH 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Marishane
DATE OF DEATH February 4, 1928