Kimbanguist Church is one of the largest African independent churches founded by Prophet Simon Kimbangu in Nkamba village also known as the New Jerusalem in DR Congo’s Kongo Central Province in 1921.
At the time, DR Congo was under the Belgian colonial administration and the empire used Roman Catholicism as the main religion to influence and convert the local people. However, the Kongo people had their own way of worshiping the creator of the universe known as Nzambe.
Kimbangu, a Kongo by ethnicity was raised in a Baptist Christian missionary family got a divine calling and learnt the core principles of Christianity, including belief in the Trinity, the Bible as the ultimate authority, and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Kimbangu combined his faith in Jesus Christ with the African expression of faith. The religion of Simon Kimbangu is called Kimbanguism the Church of Jesus Christ on Earth by His Special Envoy Simon Kimbangu.
The followers of Kimbanguism are known as Kimbanguists. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Kimbangu and his ministers preached the gospel, spoke in tongues, and performed miraculous healing acts and resurrections of the dead which came to be known as the Pentecost of Nkamba. There was a natural spring of water known in Lingala language as mayi ya Sima or mayi ya Nkamba (Nkamba water).
Kimbangu would ask the patients who had just been cured, and his healthy or ailing followers to immerse themselves in the water for purification. The water and the clay is seen as sacred and is still believed to have curative properties. Among other prayer items that he used in healing included a rod which can compared to Moses’s rod in the Old Testament.
Kimbangu’s prophetic activity and his healing powers, distinguished him from the common catholic faith and attracted many followers making for the rise of a new mass religious non-political movement.
The spiritual and moral beliefs of Kimbanguism that guide the lives of followers include faith in one God, non-violence and forgiveness, African dignity and solidarity, personal holiness, respect for family and community, Kimbanguism discourages the use of alcohol, witchcraft, sorcery, immoral behavior and envisaged a new righteous African society.
In addition to healing, Kimbangu offered material support to the needy, including non-followers fostering a sense of African unity. “I think the man’s goal is to create a religion that fits the natives’ mind- set, the colonial administrator Léon Morel stated that everybody can see that our European religions, fraught with abstract notions, do not answer the needs of the African, who demands protection and solid facts.” Source: Kimbanguism: African Understanding of the Bible, Penn State University Press, 2017.
The new movement brought about a paradigm shift among the Congolese way of understanding social change amidst the growing colonial influence over the African indigenous societies. The Belgians mistrusted that Kimbangu had hidden agendas relating rebellious activities.
The prophesy of Simon Kimbangu that there would be a time to come when people of African descent especially those whose ancestors had been taken through the Trans-Atlantic slavery trade would one day reconnect with their ancestral homeland and bring with them knowledge, technologies, and skills that would help uplift and transform Congo and Africa at large.
As a result, Kimbangu and some of his disciples were arrested in June 1921, tried in martial law and charged with several crimes including undermining colonial authority, disturbing public order and subversion. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and died at Elisabethville in 1951. Joseph Diangenda Kuntima, a younger son continued his father’s mission and transformed what seemed like a local movement into an international organized religion.
The Kimbanguist Church known as the Church of Jesus Christ on Earth by His Special Envoy Simon Kimbangu was officially recognized by government of DR Congo in 1959 as the country geared up for independence of 30th June 1960. The church became the first African Independent Church to be admitted into the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 1969.
This helped to legitimize the church into a global community of over 17 million followers. With the church’s gospel of African spiritual dignity, unity, and healing resonates with Congolese and Africans in diaspora, Kimbanguist church has established branches across the continent in Angola, Cemeroon, Republic of Congo Zambia, South Africa and various places around the world including South Africa, Belgium, Paris France, Maine USA, and United Kingdom.
Kimbanguist Church is one of the largest African independent Christian churches with over 17 million followers worldwide. Nkamba village gained recognition as the “Nkamba New Jerusalem” serving as the spiritual capital of the Kimbanguism has become a place of pilgrimage and faith based tourism in central Africa. Pilgrims and church members often to the church at Nkamba to collect the spring water and the clay to take back home for personal consumption given that they’re believed to have therapeutic and healing properties.
Visiting Nkamba village offers an opportunity for visitors to experience the story of Kimbanguism. Nkamba village is 216 km southwest of Kinshasha capital city and 218 km (5-hour drive) north east of Matadi capital city of Kongo Central Province in western DR Congo. Nkamba can also be reached by air via Matadi Tshimpi Airport. The main attractions in Nkamba include the magnificent Grand Temple of Nkamba, Mausoleum of Simon Kimbangu and family.
Among other monuments dedicated to the Kimbanguist faith include the sacred retreat hill of N’Dimba Mankondo, Papa Simon Kimbangu’s former residence, and a museum containing historical artifacts. Kimbanguism is associated with colors of green and white symbolizing integrity and hope.
Nearby Protected areas
Réserve marine de Muanda also known as Mangroves national park is 340 km (7-hour drive) southwest of Nkamba and can also be reached by air through Boma airport. The protected area is located along the mouth of the Congo River and contains swamps, mangrove forests, wet grasslands interspersed with forests rich in biodiversity including the West African mantees, crocodiles, hippos, and bushbucks.
Others southern reedbucks site, fish and crustaceans, six bird and eight reptile species, including marine turtles. The park was designated as a Ramsar site and offers a wide range of activities including fishing, nature walks and hiking to explore the mangrove forests. In addition to wildlife, the park offers beaches Moanda Beach, swimming, and vibrant nightlife.
