In a small candlelit room in western Kenya, worshippers clad in white gathered on Christmas Day to celebrate the birth of whom they revere as the “Black Messiah.” The service was held by members of Legion Maria, an African religious movement that blends Christian theology with messianic beliefs centered on a Black incarnation of Jesus.
Hours before the ceremony, an AFP reporter met Stephen Benson Nundu, a self-described prophet of the movement, who carried a framed photograph of Baba Simeo Melchior, regarded by followers as the returned Son of God.
“Today is a great day, because the Virgin Mary gave birth to King Jesus in the world of Black people,” Nundu said.
Legion Maria, also known as Legio Maria, was formally established in 1966 but traces its origins to the late 1930s, when followers say a “mystic woman” appeared to Roman Catholics in Kenya with a revelation about “the incarnation of the son of God as a black man.”
Its co-founder, Simeo Ondetto—later known as Baba Simeo Melchior—is venerated as the “eternal spiritual leader” and the “returned son of God” in Black form.
The movement claims millions of adherents across nine African countries, including Kenya, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Timothy Lucas Abawao, the church’s deputy head, emphasized that Legion Maria is not a cult.
“A cult essentially is an organisation that… believes in the leader. But we believe in Jesus Christ, and we believe in God,” he told AFP during celebrations in Nzoia, one of the church’s main worship sites.
Abawao explained the theological basis for their belief in a Black Messiah:
“Baba Messiah came for Africans. He took on the colour of the Black man so that the Black man could understand him in his own language and receive salvation.”
Legion Maria is one of several African-initiated religious movements that envision the divine in Black form.
In South Africa, the Nazareth Baptist Church—founded by Isaiah Shembe in the early 20th century—regards its founder as a messianic figure.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Kimbanguist Church venerates Simon Kimbangu, who was imprisoned for decades under colonial rule.
In Nigeria, the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star sees its late founder, Olumba Olumba Obu, as the embodiment of the Holy Spirit.
During the Christmas gathering, Odhiambo Ayanga, another Legion Maria member, summed up the belief:
“As [God] came for the white, he also came for the black. He went for the Asian, as he went for other races; God came for us all. That’s why in Africa, he has to be Black.”
The movement continues to grow, representing a significant strand of African spirituality that reimagines Christian narrative through a culturally resonant lens.