Héli Chatelain

Héli Chatelain (Murten, April 29, 1859 – Lausanne, July 22, 1908) was a Swiss linguist and Protestant missionary. He worked with rural populations in Angola, where he founded a mission and, in particular, fought against the slavery that still ravaged the country in the 19th century.

Biography Héli Chatelain was born in Murten in 1859, into a family of watchmakers from the canton of Jura. Severely disabled from birth, he could not move without the aid of two canes. He turned to reading and the study of languages, as well as the study of the Bible and theology. He spent several years in Lausanne, then in Angola, where he discovered the world of religious missions and colonial trade. He then moved to the United States in the New York area. In 1896, he founded the "Philafrican League," which aimed to establish missions on the African continent and protect fugitive slaves. He studied Kimbundu, a local language of which he published a grammar.