Today in history, is the anniversary of “Dum Diversas” a papal bull issued on June 18, 1452 by Pope Nicholas V. This document granted King Afonso V of Portugal the authority to conquer and subjugate non-Christian peoples, particularly in Africa. It authorised the king and his successors to capture, vanquish, and subdue Saracens (Muslims), pagans, and other non-believers, to seize their lands and properties, and to enslave them perpetually.
The Dum Diversas is a precursor to other bulls such as the “Romanus Pontifex” (January 5, 1455) and “Inter Caetera” (May 4, 1493), issued by Pope Alexander VI, which further reinforced and expanded the principles established in Dum Diversas. These series of papal bulls constituted the Doctrine of Discovery which is a legal and theological concept that emerged in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Doctrine of Discovery provided European monarchies with purpotedly moral and legal justification for the colonisation and seizure of lands inhabited by non-Christian peoples. The doctrine had profound implications for indigenous populations around the world as it laid the groundwork for European imperialism and colonisation. The Catholic Church (The Vatican), only officially repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery on March 30, 2023!
The doctrines established in Dum Diversas and in similar papal bulls laid the groundwork for European colonisation of Africa and the Americas. The bulls established and promoted imperialism and slavery. The legacy of Dum Diversas and other papal bulls, is on-going in Africa to this day. It must be a subject of reflection and remembrance by Africans so that history may not be repeated; and that any vestiges of the doctrine’s legacy are dismantled. The Vatican issued another papal bull on May 9, 2024 – “Spes Non Confudit” – Hope Does Not Disappoint. Read it closely and discern if it attempts to retain hegemony over Africa and its peoples.
Golide ka Zikhahlo
