Black minds matter: archbishop Milingo and the Vatican

Black minds matter tells the story of one of the most outspoken clerics of Africa, Emmanuel Milingo, who was Archbishop of Lusaka from 1969 to 1983. Milingo became widely known for his healing ministry, which was rooted in African spiritual ideas. This brought hem into years of conflict with the dominant powers in the Catholic Church, and eventually led to his excommunication in 2006. The debate about Milingo was one with racial overtones, not only in Church circles but also in the Western press, which showed a sensational interest in the matter. African cosmology was simply dismissed as primitive and 'superstitious'. In the twenty-first century, however, white dominance is no longer the norm. With new generations of black people standing up for their social and political rights, especially influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement, this book argues that if black lives matter, black minds should matter as well.

Gerrie ter Haar is a scholar of religion and emeritus Professor of Religion and Development at the International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam. She has published extensively on religion in Africa and the African diaspora.