By E. Munshya wa Munshya, LLB (Hons), M.Div.
The book, “Prophetess Alice Lenshina: God’s African Commander, Her Generational Blessings and Legacy” is a 224-page book. Its author, Apostle Margaret Wealth Mwila Buter claims to have been inspired to write it out of a prophetic word she received while listening to a message from her Pastor in London, England. Out of this prophetic word came a rediscovering of Apostle Margaret’s own history and heritage. This would eventually lead her to write the book on Prophetess Lenshina within a few weeks. Drawing on her journalism training and experience coupled with a strong religious background she decided to tackle the history of one of Zambia’s most controversial women.
I bought this book on Apostle Buter’s website (http://aldiatoday.com/tremendous/tremendous-wealth-publishers.html). I paid about $25 through PayPal. She then posted an autographed copy to my address in Canada. I am most grateful for her kind gesture. I got it within two weeks and was excited to have to read about the history of one of Zambia’s most significant women. To understand the book, however, it is important to first get to know a few underlying currents that have defined the book’s author herself. Without understanding these currents it would be difficult to appreciate this book.
The author does seem to be a Pentecostal charismatic Christian. This can be seen from her work title as an “Apostle”. This is also evident through the style employed in her book. Pentecostals believe in the immediacy of the presence of God. They also believe that God is at work today in the way he used to work in the Bible days. Pentecostal theology is also quite consistent with an African religious worldview, which regards suffering as evil. Such a worldview puts God not only as a good God who rescues people from suffering but also empowers people to overcome these evils. Another important element to note from the author is that within her faith tradition, women do have prominent leadership roles. For within the Pentecostal tradition God speaks through men as well as women. The intersection therefore between Apostle Buter’s faith, and her desire to write a book about Prophetess Alice Lenshina should not come as a surprise.
Apostle Buter is quite passionate about Prophetess Mulenga Lenshina whom she calls God’s African commander. She draws upon her personal family history (her father was a relative of Lenshina’s) to explain the events surrounding the rise of an obscure young woman known as Mulenga who as a result of a heavenly visitation receives a commission from Jesus to become a preacher. Jesus himself gives Mulenga the name Lenshina and ordains her to rid the society of witchcraft, sorcery and various sins. It is this commission that brings Prophetess Lenshina into conflict with the traditional leaders (Chief Nkula), the religious leaders (Rev. MacPherson at Lubwa Mission), and indeed the political leaders (such as UNIP and Prime Minister Kenneth Kaunda). Apostle Margaret collects first hand accounts from eyewitnesses to explain the intrigue that surrounded the growth of Prophetess Alice Lenshina’s church to a membership of over 150,000 people. This growth coupled with jealousies and political maneuvering finally led to the Church’s clash with Kaunda’s government forces.
The story is just so full of mystery and intrigue. Read through the book and Apostle Buter takes you through the suspicions, the lies, the murder, the escape, and indeed the imprisonment of Zambia’s most famous prisoners. I never knew how long Prophetess Lenshina had been imprisoned without trial until I read this book. It is also interesting to note the lawyer whom Alice Lenshina and her colleagues relied on for legal advice. The lawyer just passed on a few weeks ago. The book also explains how ordinary Alice Lenshina was. How loving she was to her children. And curiously one of her children had a Lozi name. This is one of the many surprises about Prophetess Lenshina that Apostle Buter brings out.
In the book, the members of the Lumpa Church are brutally murdered by Kaunda’s forces in Chinsali. They become refugees in their own country. Their leader Prophetess Lenshina voluntarily surrenders herself to the state to avoid further bloodshed. She is imprisoned for years without trial. Members of her church group are exiled in the Congo DR, and are settled near Lubumbashi and at Mokambo. Meanwhile as all this is happening, a lot more intrigue and suspense is happening in Zambia as prisoner Lenshina keeps rotating around various prisons in the country.
Apostle Margaret addresses what she calls lies that the state perpetrated against the Lumpa Church. According to popular narratives, Prophetess Lenshina used to force her followers to drink her urine. In fearless courage, Apostle Buter debunks this myth. She equally addresses the reasons why members of Alice Lenshina’s church were difficult to shoot at by Kaunda’s forces.
From the style of the book, Apostle Buter did seem to write this book not for the general audience but for people within a Pentecostal tradition. This I think may be the greatest drawback to this book. Additionally, Apostle Buter does seem to be so informed by her faith tradition that she links Alice Lenshina’s story as an extension of the biblical experience. Obviously, in portraying Lenshina it is better to state the facts, and leave it to the readers to make up their minds about those facts. Prophetess Alice Lenshina’s story need to be told in a way that is more faithful to a broader audience than just the Pentecostal believers. Indeed, the style of writing, prophetic prose, which Apostle Buter employs, may not be familiar with people outside the Pentecostal tradition.
And then Apostle Buter begins to link Prophetess Lenshina to specific events in Zambian history. It is these events that she calls, Prophetess Lenshina’s “generational blessings and legacy.” These include, Zambia’s independence in 1964 and President Chiluba’s declaration of Zambia as a Christian nation in 1991. All these form part of the legacy as narrated by Apostle Buter.
Prophetess Alice Lenshina: God’s African Commander is a book that all those that want to hear a different perspective on Prophetess Lenshina should read. I highly recommend it for all.
© 2012, Munshya wa Munshya
These preachers are bold nowadays even having a middle name called wealth. I think I need to get into this lucrative business and my middle name will be’ kudya-ndalama-zanu’. Why do people need an extra book or prophecy when it is supposed to have been written a long time ago? Isn’t this just a hustle to get a book sold that most of these pastors have made millions from. This just sound like christian hustlenomics 101 to enrich oneself on peoples sheepish following of anyone that calls themselves exhalting names
Interesting. Does this apostle Buter have her own movement of churches or she is an apostle of the Lenshina church? Why did KK’s forces fail to shoot Lenshina’s forces if she did not practice witchcraft herself? Is Zambian’s curses with a run down economy for a country that has not been to war partly because of what KK did Lenshina and the Jews?
What is an apostle or prophet?
JOB SEEKERS
The LUMPA CHURCH was a cult and it is shameful to try and portray her as having heavenly anointing. The government knew that if they left this woman unchecked, she would have killed a lot of people from her misconception of building a tower Called “INKWELA” to climb to the throne of Jehoveh GOD. A number of people fall to the their deaths on this tower. She also created a militia of spear wielding youths and this caused concern in the general population of Chinsali and Zambia in general, hence her arrest. She was simply pushing her agenda by creating an idealised and heroic public image that even today she has followers in form of some family members like the author. I would not waste my K130,000 to read about Lenshina or to support the re-establishment of this cult! FYOLA!
Interesting reading. Iam one of those that have grown up knowing only the side of the then Gov’t. news (UNIP) at the time. What was potrayed was actually that Lenshina was contra to normal way of life and that her intentions were only evil deeds. Things have changed since the UNIP era and I would like to believe that people are more informed (get news from various sources) than then. People have a balanced view of situations when they hear from many sources about one situation.
Ba Pente mwaya sana! Anyone in their right mind would not idolize Lenshina. I used to live in a neighbourhood where some of her ‘remnants’ still congregate. Strange things used to happen in that ‘church’
Alice Regina alias Lenshina, A prophetess??? My foot!!!
I have been wondering about this lately because there have been some people including someone by the name of Elias Munshya who have done reviews of this book, and claimed new insights into the Lumpa “Church”.
Some have demonised UNIP and KK in particular.
Could those who know contrary to what this book claims please tell us what they know from first hand witnesses?
What has been raising doubts about this for me are the bold titles, Apostle and Prophetess that are being used here.
Just read books about the lenshina uprising by Dr Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe, Dr Kaunda and many others that united to fight this cult for it was bush terrorism at the time. They were sacrificing innocent people all in the name of getting closer to God and fighting the UNIP government. This woman and the pioneer of this story are basically descendants who want to capitalise and make money over this issue. Instead of even wasting time and money, those interested should go to lusaka museum and read about this as iterated by the whites and the likes of Dr kaunda. He’s still alive, why not ask the oldman about his experience with lenshina? Trying to milk money out of innocent zambians will not work.
Where can I find that book “Lenshina uprising” by Dr Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe? I would rather read that one
It is like calling Chanda Sema a true Jesus. Is this is what the book is trying to potray Lenshina? Don’t talk down on BA Pente. The author is a relative of Lenshina and she is trying to make her a saint or an angel? If this woman was very evil as we were made to believe, then this self acclaimed author Apostle will have a surprise of her life when she gets to heaven. There’s a compound in the city where I lived where some Lumpa members used to say that they drink Lenshina’s urine. Was this just fabrication? Let the truth be told.
Lenshina’s movement was a cult with very primitive practices such as driking urine as measure of security against bullets from soldiers who were after them. They commanded their followers to violently defy laws of the government of the day. They were also sponsored by the Colonial government to cause confusion as Zambia was headed for Independence. Kaunda pleaded for their cooperation but they never listened. Can Munshya and this lady prophet tell us that they believe in the teachings of this Satanic cult? Munshya is also a preacher in Canada who recently obtaind Law degree and his main occupation is blogging.
Even Mushala was a prophet…not forgeting Saimbwende!!
Our Historians snoozing at UNZA must be ashamed that such a topic has been left to novices peppered with religious tones to work on. This is sad and clearly points out that our country requires our intellectuals to come out of their lecture rooms and do a proper job on all topics touching our nation. As a result of their negligence, the matter is now being reproduced with clearly religious undertones at the expense of the serious national security the church posed to Zambia.
Read the book “Lenshina uprising” by Dr Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe
I lived with the Lumpa sect or church briefly before they left for Kanyama near Lubumabshi.Thier leader was then Kapele.I recall them being hard working people as they provided cheap labour as domestic workers for their survival. But like all fanatic belivers, they were very uncompromising about their style of worshiping. I remember them providing good entertainment on Sundays as they were very good dancers in their worship style. Their teaching of God’s way of life was very very controversial just like the Jehovah witnesses were at that time. If I were the leader of a nation like Kaunda was at that time,I could have done the same. But I want to read the Lenshina story from another angle than the one I have heard.
What was that you said about jehovah’s witnesses? Explain a little bit because you have psyched my brain!
Jehoava’s witnesses do not believe that Jesus christ is God.
they do not believe in the Trinity and that the bible says that even if Jesus was equal to God, when He came down to earth, He did not see the need to exalt His Lordship but took on the form of a servant.
They do not believe that Jesus and God are one, The mystery of the trinity has got them all bound up. which is just the way the devil likes it, to keep us from the truth and keep up arguing over these points time and time again.
Let truth be told. It has always been the Kaunda regime’s side of the story. The public deserves to know whether the Lumpa church deserved to be fated the way it did.
No. There are books in most libraries by different people even whites based on their experience with this woman. She was basically the equivalent of Adamson Mushala in North Western. You cannot pretend you are fighting for your people in jesus name and yet sacrificing them and their families. Jesus did not sacrifice anyone. He sacrificed himself.
Read the accounts of the people on this post that are giving accounts on the encouters they have has with these people.
# 15 Ikandulwa and others above, the LUMPA church trully deserved to be stopped or we would have ended up with worse than what happened, a civil war. The Lumpa church was establish in 1953 at Kasoma village and at first this same church was close to the freedom fighters in the region of Chinsali. Beginning as an antiwitchcraft movement, it clashed with the new government when it rejected secular authority. The word ‘LUMPA’ in Bemba means ‘better than all others’ and the name Lenshina means ‘queen’.The Lumpa also rejected taxes,formed their own villages and threatened the traditional authority of the chiefs. They actually become a rebel movement constituting an open challenge to the new UNIP government. More than 700 people died to avoid Zambia being in a civil war like Angola! CULT!
By the way, they are a breakway cult from the Jehovahs’ witness sect!
Now, that’s madness
yaba..this is nonsense..
Lenshina and the Lumpa cult was no different from the evil Ugandan woman who started the Lords Army rebel movement now led by the notorious Koni. Their atrocities are evident for every body to see and the rest is history. We have had all sorts of cults in the world today that have led blind followers to their deaths or into poverty after being convinved to surrender all their earnings to the cult. Many books have been written about the Lenshina cult as far back as to when all this happened including living witness accounts and pictures. Some of the books were written by independent people and journalists with no biasness. Just google and read various articles. Lenshina being a prophet tells so much about the so called prophets( profits as I prefer to call them) to be desired.
I can’t believe this woman is glorifying a cult! Whose apostle is she anyway? From the looks of things she must be Lenshina’s apostle. Instead of breaking the generational curses she and her family may have inherited from Lenshina, she decides to glorify what was very clearly a cult. There are more honorable ways to earn money, especially if you call yourself a Christian. I hope people will not be gullible enough to believe this hogwash.
Did Jesus have any FEMALE APOSTLES? Which weed do these fellows smoke? Zambian Christians are being misled into a bottomless pit!!!!!
Never!
The issue of gender is a non entitiy, the issue is that this woman is not of the Lord Jesus Chirst, like other women are. And Yes, Jesus did have female apostles, I refer to Deborah, Joanna, Mary Magdalene and also the woman at the well.
Women Apostle self appointed anointed and sent
Why is everyone called an Apostle now? OK we started with Pastors, then we shifted to Reverands, then Bishops now we have Apostles!
What is next? Disciple Joshua?
You forgot prophet.
mh! mwapena mukwai
Well, that is always the case. A generation that does not know someone, comes up with a sanitised version of that person later on in history! At the rate we are going, even Hitler will be revered one day, but thanks be to God, the Western historians have put on paper and immortalised the hideous doings of the Nazis, so that only a blind fool can alter the facts. Sadly, Kenneth Kaunda and his friends have elected to be silent on several issues that have taken place in our country. I was there in 1962 when we were harassed by Lenshina’s men and without provocation. If the men who wielded pangas and spears shouting ‘Hallelujah Jericho!’ were led by a Prophetess, God help us!
Trying to sell a book in the name of listening to the other side of the story when we have heard from people that actually experienced it, and united to stop a cult that was sacrificing innocent women and children, will not work. Yer maybe kids born in the late 70-90’s would be interested. But as children of survivors that where almost lynched by this occult mob, you can hang, as selling this bull crap especially when there are still survivors. And please, you cannot associate Jehovah God with doings of the devil’s children for you are what Jesus said would come in his name, but are actually children of vipers. It was not only zambians that experienced the wrath of lenshina, but even christian missionaries we kolwe we.
Trying to sell a book in the name of listening to the other side of the story when we have heard from people that actually experienced it, and united to stop a cult that was sacrificing innocent women and children, will not work. To date, there are still children of survivors that where almost lynched by this occult mob, you can hang, as selling this bull crap especially when there are still survivors. And please, you cannot associate Jehovah God with doings of the devil’s children for you are what Jesus said would come in his name, but are actually children of vipers. It was not only zambians that experienced the wrath of lenshina, but even christian missionaries we kolwe we.
KK don’t like be reminded of that cult of Lenshina. Worse thing is that Sata was one of the police officers setting fire at the Lenshina’s village.
Here is another cult…
may the well meaning people of zambia watch this young lady before she start some s-h-i-t. she is up to no good. i strongly believe that out to make people drink her urine.if she is a law graduate then , she has the sense to make people believe her easily.
John would you please behave youeslf and talk of the matter at hand .
Does all nonsense in Zambia originate from the north? Bemba land like the other tribes of Zambia are saying could really be kolwestan hahahaha.
First off – most religious scripts are littered with all manner of crimes (genocide, crimes against humanity, massacres, slavery, debauchery, etc.) all in the name of a god. Why would it be surprising that you would have churches that mirror this behavior? You have churches that wield pangas and go on an onslaught against “unbelievers” in the name of their god and you are surprised? This is just one of many writings that you will find glorifying gore in the name of a god! Strewth!!
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I am a Pentecost myself and there is nothing wrong with pentecostalism. The first Church was pentecostal whether one likes it or not.Many people have run away from the truth and have come out heavily to attack everything that has to do with Pentecost. One thing is clear from 1Timothy 3:1-5 especially verse 5, “…PEOPLE WILL HAVE A FORM OF GODLINESS BUT DENY THE POWER OF GOD.” Even in Pentecostal circles many people have misinterpreted the word of God. Miracles are there but there is also a lot of misinterpretation. I am not supporting this lady because even in the first place the title Apostle never belonged to women in the Bible. Titles have become one big problem with us pentecostals and the devil has taken advantage of that to deceive many people. False Prophets have risen up.
You are right.
I am very disappointed by E. Munshya Munshya to recommend this book which is born out of seducing spirits and devils. “Now the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Mr Munshya, you know that Apostle Margaret is not telling the truth. Why should a person like you who is born again and know the truth recommend this book and advanced the Kingdom of darkness?
People who research and read, will ignore reading books that don’t add any value to their lives! If this woman was documenting Lenshinas’ Lumpa church as a historical event in Zambia, giving researched facts, I would definately read it! Like # 24 SAINT has clearly put it, there is nothing to admire about Lenshinas madness and her murderous panga and spear wielding chanting fanatics. They were just a CULT out for blood, disobedient to the peoples democratically elected first black Zambian government. They were a gang of misfits who inaddition to all you have heard above refused to send their children to schools, refused to pay taxes, chased police from their settlements, rejected traditional chiefs authority and gave a very bad image to the people of Chinsali. No Lenshina was NO PROPHET!
This is a classic exposition of how dangerous and insidious organised religion can be, has been and will be. It makes no sense to expound the ‘love’ and ‘power’ of God as a justification to kill, maim, terrorise, make political capital and get rich at the expense of others in contradiction to peace and social harmony. Religion has been used to divide and ostracise and uses fantastic and well thought out theories to claim a dominant position in people’s minds. If there is a monotheistic God why is there no one religion?
Kaunda claims/claimed to be a christian yet ran a police state and torture was routine; Chiluba for all his piousness was a thief. No excuse for that. But the people who benefited from their patronage and largesse will defend them and our circus continues.
Lusaka Times congrats for providing some sort of forum for debate although a lot of the comments leave a lot to be desired!! Do some of us have a real problem with constructive debate and discussion? Anyway, it’s a ‘comment’ section and you shall be known by the words you utter.
By the way, the Bible was written by persons like you and me. Used to subjugate and enslave Africans; especially women. Open to interpretation, which gives it the power it has. It was reinterpreted by an English king who left out things he didn’t like and interestingly, those that have massacred and looted other peoples lands, eg USA, South Africa,Latin America are the ones who have held on most dearly to it. I call it the guilty psyche syndrome….looking for absolution and/or redemption. Religion is politics and Politics is religion.
I was a manager of schools in Chinsali at the time of Lenshina and my elder sister was one of the followers of Lenshina. If the author’s dad is Mr Nunkwe he was a young pupil in standard 2 with Ethel Kapili now Mrs Mwaba. What did her dad experience? I will make a review once I get a copy
Zambians are obsessed with showing off academic qualifications. Why do you need all those academic accolodaes beside your name? Lifasi le! Awa.
I think Erika Napoletano is especially spectacular at pulling this off. She??ll talk about some awesome/shitty/outrageous that happened to her or someone she knows and leads with what happened and then shows you what you can learn from it.
Alice Lenshina made her followers drinker her urine. The unrine she buried for days in the hot baked soils of Zambia, kept in tin cans and the rasty urine was drunk in church while give her praises – who does that? If the author of this book has a heart she would not praise Alice Lenshina. Alice Lenshina killed innocent people. She had what we now know today as Mental Illness. She was a sick B****h. The government should get rid of those churches that are mushrooming on every corner of Zambia. Zambia is not a Christian Nation. It is former Northern Rhodesia.
False Apostle!
i need to say something as i lived through the events which took place in lundazi when my family lived in a police camp. my dad helped avert a catastrophe as he misled the so called followers of lenshina who apparently had been instructed to cleanse the nation. as lenshina was misled so have you apostle margaret been misled like all those back in 1963-64. it was a traumatic time and still is when i remember the whole thing. do not trivialise this ba margaret. a knobkerrie was used to hit my sister the same knobkerrie was give.n to me to hit the dead body of my best friend–i was nine yrs old and she too, but now she was dead. i live and work in england.my dad is in lundazi and is 82yrs but coherent.i lived this event for many days but to you its a story.leave our Lord out of this sick even
Pay attention to all the post on this story where people are giving first had accounts of the encounters they have had with these people.
The devil wants some airtime with this story.
Harry potter sort of publicity I see here!
Also, the bible tells us that the god of this world has blinded people from seeing the glory of the Lord so when she sayd god, she does not mean the I AM, JEHOVA, EL SHADAI, EVERLASTING FATHER, ANCIENT OF DAYS, THE ALPHA AND OMGEGA, THE God that knows the end from the begining…… NO Freinds, she is talking about the god of this world satan who had his powers defeated at the cross and whose end is the lake of fire. Thats the god she is talking about. Jesus said My sheep know MY Voice and another they will not follow.
I for one do not agree with this link between the lumpa church, with pentecostal churches , as i donot see anything biblical in what lenshina preached, she never preached the gospel but the removal of sin from the world. the gospel is about Jesus as the saviour of the world through the finished work of calvary
What hunger can do…
I hav taken time to read out all these coments and believ me i hav bin to the place believed to b where they ve kept the body of lenshina, t ws jst a cult of men and women whose desire to lead thru supernatural means bcame a worshipable being, these pipo where a bunch of witches and only a relative like her cn tek time to exault a leader of satanists like lenshina and ts like these thngs run n the family sam1 to stp ths nosense plz
What is this woman talking about? My two grand fathers left the whole familly and went to join lenshina camp along the Lundazi River where a bid church building was with so many camps aroundi it some 30 kilometres from our Village. He carried spears, axes, bow and arrows. My father advised him against this but he wouldn’t listen. He said he will use them for hunting animals in the camp. Later, they waged war killing people in the villages. They wanted to take over from the ruling gvt. My village was not targetted, it was by-passed in their war plan, due to my grand father interfrence. He was killed before they started the war due to his interference but they forgot to revise the plan. He warned us about the war and we escaped to Malawi. These were criminals!!
two days to go will be having a memorial service at our church in Lusaka starting from 07to15 December to remember the woman (lenshina) Zambia has never produced again. lenshina she was an ordinary girl who grew up in kasomo village in chief nkula. lenshina opposed borth polygamy and traditional folk magic and promoted the apliftment of common people, especially women. lenshina never faced a trial but was detained.for more information you are free to contact me. a proudly lumpa member!!.