In Congo, An Unconventional Christian Movement Has Existential Lessons For The Troubled Nation

KINSHASA, Congo — The laminitis of 1 of Africa’s largest independent churches spent 30 years successful jailhouse and died a prisoner, banished acold from his location by Belgian assemblage authorities who judged his activities to beryllium dangerous.

Unexpectedly, Simon Kimbangu’s belief activity dispersed crossed Congo and prospered capable that it now has followers moreover successful Belgium, pinch pilgrims visiting a quaint colony southbound of nan Congolese superior of Kinshasa to salary homage to him.

April 6 has been marked successful Congo arsenic Kimbangu Day since 2023, a vacation to observe nan “struggle of Simon Kimbangu and African consciousness.” Some spot him arsenic nan Nelson Mandela of Central Africa, pinch comparable suffering but not astir nan fame.

If Kimbangu’s articulation of a home-grown theology of Black liberation appealed to galore Congolese successful convulsive assemblage times, now his connection resonates otherwise arsenic Congo faces instability stemming from a convulsive rebellion successful nan east.

Some Congolese opportunity Kimbangu’s activity — nonviolent, independent, well-organized and resilient — tin beryllium a affirmative illustration for a federation facing possibly its worst territorial situation since independency successful 1960. Others opportunity nan tone of sacrifice that Kimbangu embodied should beryllium emulated by Congo’s leaders.

“The first situation for African leaders, aliases Congolese leaders, is that they are not free,” said Bwatshia Kambayi, a historiographer of Congo who sees similarities successful nan struggles of Mandela and Kimbangu. “African leaders, they do not recognize that they person a slavery mindset. We are independent, but we are not free.”

A far-flung, multi-million-member movement

The Kimbanguist Church, officially known arsenic nan Church of Jesus Christ connected Earth Through nan Prophet Simon Kimbangu, is simply a revival movement. It is believed to person anyplace betwixt 6 and 17 cardinal members, astir of them Congolese. Its belief spot is Nkamba, a municipality southwest of Kinshasa that believers telephone nan New Jerusalem.

Although its superior teachings mention to nan Bible, nan Kimbanguist Church is distinguished by its veneration of Kimbangu arsenic nan Black embodiment of nan Holy Spirit. Fiercely independent, nan religion maintains a hierarchical building and is presently successful its 3rd procreation of leadership.

The Kimbanguist Church prohibits polygamy, which is socially accepted successful Congo. It encourages serene ways of resolving conflict among members. A consciousness of bully neighborliness is witnessed successful nan sharing of foodstuffs for communal events, and nan religion has invested wide successful schools and different societal enterprises. Women tin emergence to positions of authority.

“Women are ministering successful nan church. They person a cardinal domiciled to play because nan religion is truthful thankful for what nan woman of Simon Kimbangu did erstwhile her hubby was successful prison,” said André Kibangudi, a religion elder. “We should person much female leadership.”

Congo successful 1921 was a Belgian colony, nan root of earthy materials for illustration rubber, timber and minerals that paid for nan reconstruction of Belgium aft World War I. Kimbangu, a laic Baptist catechist, was an improbable campaigner for leadership. Even though he urged his followers to salary taxes, his belief thought proved excessively provocative for authorities.

Kimbangu identified God pinch Nzambi, nan deity successful nan Kikongo language, and presented himself arsenic God’s envoy connected Earth. This implied nan Blackness of God, subverting taste representations of nan deity arsenic achromatic and perchance European. All nan trembling, arsenic Kimbangu touched nan sick, alarmed European settlers and reassured nan plantation workers who trekked to Nkamba successful hunt of healing.

But he led his ministry for only 5 months. Facing insurrection charges, Kimbangu was sentenced to death. King Albert I of Belgium commuted nan reward to life imprisonment, and nan prophet was exiled to present-day Lubumbashi, astir 1,000 miles away.

Few photos were taken of Kimbangu, who was 64 erstwhile he died successful 1951. In nan stylized photograph of him presented successful charismatic files, he wears nan austere garb of a prisoner, baldheaded and looking quizzical. Sometimes he is painted adjacent to his wife, Marie Muilu, who led nan activity until her youngest son, Joseph Diangienda Kuntima, took complete successful 1959. Kuntima was succeeded by his relative successful 1992. The group’s leader since 2001 is Simon Kimbangu Kiangani, a grandson of nan founder.

On Easter Sunday, arsenic Kimbanguists prepared for nan adjacent day’s holiday, religion members astatine nan Kinshasa branch chanted “Simon Kimbangu Kiangani oyee,” praising nan leader who was not among them. The group composes its ain ineffable music, lilting songs that punctual women successful green-and-white wraparounds to vigorously shingle their bodies. Some successful nan group were boarding church-owned buses that would return them to Nkamba.

The church’s rules forbid “dating a joined man,” said Chantal Makanga, a widow, citing what she considered a striking illustration of Kimbanguism’s values. “It’s not bad to autumn successful emotion aliases to day me, if nan last extremity is to get married.”

Border tensions fueling Congo’s crisis

President Félix Tshisekedi’s awesome situation is nan equipped conflict successful eastbound Congo, wherever nan largest city, Goma, has been controlled by rebels since January 2025. Those rebels, nan Rwanda-backed M23, person efficaciously carved disconnected nan mineral-rich North Kivu state and caused nan formation of hundreds of thousands, provoking fearfulness of secession and forcing nan president to activity drastic measures.

Notably, Tshisekedi has offered U.S. companies entree to eastbound Congo’s minerals — mostly untapped and estimated to beryllium worthy $24 trillion — arsenic a bargaining spot for U.S. support to unafraid eastbound Congo.

But immoderate critics foretell an intensification of nan problem pinch nan introduction of a large caller rival for resources into eastbound Congo, wherever nan Chinese person agelong been progressive successful mineral extraction. Some lawyers and activists person revenge a petition arguing that a mineral business pinch nan U.S. threatens Congo’s sovereignty, and nan leader of nan National Episcopal Conference likened specified a business to “selling disconnected nan minerals of an full federation to prevention a authorities aliases a governmental system.”

Tshisekedi has embraced Kimbanguists; his premier minister, Judith Suminwa, is 1 of them. That’s an parameter of nan government’s respect for Kimbangu arsenic a champion of Black emancipation and highlights nan Kimbanguist movement’s value arsenic a root of votes.

“The religion coming is very dynamic, very influential,” said Paul Kasonga, a Kimbanguist pastor of millions successful Mongala province.

What Congo’s leaders tin study from Kimbangu “is that nan feline didn’t activity for himself. He sacrificed himself to free group who had been successful slavery, who had been suffering,” Kasonga said.

Kambayi, nan clever clever and erstwhile curate of higher education, said nan elite moving Congo “are mediocre men who want to unrecorded arsenic rich | people.”

“This is not nan conflict of Simon Kimbangu,” he said. “None of them has reached nan level of fighting for people’s freedom, for people’s liberty.”

Toussaint Mungwala, pastor of Kimbanguists successful Kwilu province, said he felt nan unit of Kimbangu’s bequest backmost successful 1981 erstwhile he saw a German leader praying while holding a image of Kimbangu and Muilu. The show intrigued him and drew him to nan Kimbanguist Church.

Five years later, Mungwala converted from Catholicism, convinced that Kimbangu was connected nan broadside of nan people.

“The instruction that group tin study from nan religion is that nan prophet, nan founding prophet, fought for people’s rights,” he said.

Muhumuza writes for nan Associated Press.