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Viewing cable 07KINSHASA897, KIMBANGUISM: CONGOLESE HISTORY, IDENTITY AND

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07KINSHASA897 2007-07-30 15:52 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Kinshasa
VZCZCXRO6103
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHGI RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHKI #0897/01 2111552
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301552Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY KINSHASA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6619
INFO RUEHXR/RWANDA COLLECTIVE
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUFOADA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KINSHASA 000897 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CG PGOV PHUM PNAT
SUBJECT: KIMBANGUISM: CONGOLESE HISTORY, IDENTITY AND 
RELIGION 
 
1. (U) Summary: The Kimbanguist Church is a large home-grown 
Congolese religion. Like most of the population, Kimbanguists 
consider themselves Christians, although they are not always 
seen as such by others. Church officials claim nearly 
one-sixth of the population follows Kimbanguism; it has a 
significant voice in Congolese society. Based on the 
teachings of Christianity, the religion was founded by a 
self-proclaimed Congolese prophet named Simon Kimbangu during 
the country,s colonial era. Kimbangu and his movement 
quickly became an early symbol of Congo,s independence drive 
and remain important pieces of the country,s history and 
identity. Congolese politicians of all faiths publicly pay 
respects to Simon Kimbangu and have routinely sought the 
church,s support. End summary. 
 
-------------------- 
WHAT IS KIMBANGUISM? 
-------------------- 
 
2. (U) Congolese Kimbanguist theologian Kalemba Manzo 
Constantino defined the religion as "Christianity deriving 
from the actions and teachings of Simon Kimbangu." The 
movement began when a self-styled prophet by the name of 
Simon Kimbangu claimed to be called by God and began 
preaching and healing on April 6, 1921. Kimbangu started his 
work in his home town of Nkamba, in western Bas-Congo 
province. Kimbanguists believe Simon Kimbangu is part of the 
Christian Trinity: the Holy Spirit in human form. 
 
3. (U) Today Kimbanguist officials claim some 17 million 
followers worldwide, with 10 million alone in the DRC, 
including more than one million in Kinshasa. This would 
represent about one-sixth of the DRC,s estimated population 
of 65 million. Other sources maintain Kimbanguists are no 
more than ten to fifteen percent of the population. Most of 
its adherents are located in Bas-Congo and Kinshasa, although 
there are numerous Kimbanguist churches throughout the 
country. Kimbanguist officials also told us they have 
followings in many other African countries, especially nearby 
Angola and the Republic of Congo. 
 
----------------------------------- 
AFRICAN HEROISM AND SOCIAL ACTIVISM 
----------------------------------- 
 
4. (U) Church officials and followers say that during the 
colonial period, Belgian authorities were alarmed by 
Kimbangu,s popularity and perceived his movement as a threat 
to the Catholic Church. In his preaching, Kimbangu embraced 
the emerging concept of an African identity and traditions, 
and was among the first Congolese public figures to protest 
Belgian rule. In response, colonial authorities imprisoned 
him in 1921 and outlawed Kimbanguism. Kimbangu died in prison 
in 1951. 
 
5. (U) Kimbangu was later recognized as an early independence 
hero by Mobutu Sese Seko, Laurent Kabila and Joseph Kabila. 
His resistance against Belgian colonial rule and support of 
Africanism made him an icon of black liberation thought, and 
Congolese political leaders today regularly pay respect to 
the Kimbanguist community and his memory. In his June 30 
independence day address to the nation this year, Kabila paid 
tribute to "Simon Kimbangu's generation" for starting the 
fight for democracy. National Assembly Vice President Marc 
Mvuama, a practicing Catholic, told us that Kimbanguim is 
respected regardless of one,s religious background because 
the religion is regarded as a home-grown response to 
colonialism that helped liberate the country. He added that 
the Protestant and Catholic churches are viewed by Congolese 
as remnants of western colonialism and thus not genuinely 
African. 
 
6. (U) Kimbanguist officials reported that they were 
persecuted by colonial authorities but flourished in secret 
under the leadership of Simon Kimbangu,s wife Marie Muilu 
Kiawaga after his imprisonment. In 1959 Kimbangu,s third 
son, Joseph Diangienda, became the movement,s leader after 
it was officially recognized by the state as the Church of 
Jesus Christ on Earth by his Special Envoy Simon Kimbangu 
(EJCSK). After Joseph Diangienda died in 1992, Simon 
Kimbangu's second son Salomon Dialungana Kiangani became the 
Kimbanguist spiritual leader. He was succeeded in 2001 by his 
son Simon Kiangani, who remains the church,s spiritual 
leader to this day. 
 
 
KINSHASA 00000897  002 OF 003 
 
 
7. (SBU) Congolese observers describe Kimbanguists as 
financially independent, well-organized, and 
community-minded. Kimbanguists themselves attribute these 
traits to years of colonial persecution when they had to be 
determined and self-sufficient to succeed. Even after the 
church was legalized in 1959, one Kimbanguist leader said its 
members were excluded from some educational and medical 
facilities still controlled by Belgians and subsequently 
decided to build their own. A Kimbanguist leader told us they 
have roughly 180 medical centers and over a thousand 
Kimbanguist schools open to the public around the country 
(611 primary schools and 540 secondary schools). The church 
also runs a Kimbanguist University with a a theological 
campus outside Kinshasa that was built in 1977 and a general 
campus within the city built in 1994. In addition, they built 
the Hopital Kimbaguiste de Kinshasa with partial USAID 
funding. The Kimbanguist community,s main edifices and 
sources of significant pride are the church,s temple in 
Nkamba, the Kimbanguist equivalent of Vatican City, and a 
research center in Kinshasa open to the public. 
 
8. (SBU) There has been speculation that the Kimbanguist 
church is linked with the group Bundu dia Kongo (BDK) because 
both groups have mystical elements, claim to follow Simon 
Kimbangu and are based in Bas-Congo. Kimbanguist officials 
disavowed any contact with the BDK however and said they 
considered it a political rather than a religious group. 
 
--------------- 
POLITICAL CLOUT 
--------------- 
 
9. (SBU) Given the movement,s large number of followers, it 
represents an important bloc of votes for political 
candidates. Political and religious leaders told us there is 
often an informal alliance between the government and 
churches, including the Kimbanguists. Mvuama said churches 
often benefit from financial donations from politicians who 
in return receive unofficial support from religious leaders. 
He said this can mean encouraging followers to vote for 
certain candidates in private or endorsement political 
campaign goals in public sermons. 
 
10. (SBU) Kimbanguist leaders have never officially supported 
a political leader, but many Congolese interlocutors claim 
there has often been an alliance between the government and 
the Kimbanguist church regardless of who was president. 
Several Kimbanguist officials said there were especially 
close ties between Joseph Diangienda and Mobutu, who 
reportedly gave personal donations to the church and 
regularly attended Kimbanguist ceremonies. One Kimbanguist 
told us this relationship was "predestined by God" since the 
two were friends before rising to power, and because both had 
the first name "Joseph." Other Congolese contacts told us 
people threw rocks at Diagienda's funeral because many in the 
Congolese community resented the alliance with the unpopular 
dictator. Laurent Kabila likewise retained good relations 
with the Kimbanguist church and paid respect to the memory of 
Simon Kimbangu in public statements, but was less involved 
than Mobutu, according to church officials. 
 
11. (SBU) Joseph Kabila is similarly regarded as an ally of 
the Kimbanguist church although there is no clear evidence 
most followers are active supporters. His daytrip to Nkamba 
in February 2002 and three day stay March 15-18, 2003 were 
fondly remembered and much-discussed in Kimbanguist circles 
who saw it as the ultimate sign of respect and friendship. 
Some contacts told us they knew of no political affiliation 
between Kabila and the church, though others said Kiangani 
unofficially ordered followers to vote for Kabila. One 
Kimbanguist leader described the relationship as "perfect," 
saying Kiangani and Kabila were in regular contact and that 
Kimbanguists voted for him "automatically" because of this 
relationship. Election results do not support this claim, 
however, as Kabila showed poorly in Bas-Congo and Kinshasa, 
areas which voted heavily in favor of Jean-Pierre Bemba. One 
Kimbanguist who has left the church said Kiangani was not 
able to deliver the vote as promised because of divisions 
within the church. 
 
---------------------- 
DIVISION IN THE CHURCH 
---------------------- 
 
12. (SBU) In October 2002, a dispute arose in the Kimbanguist 
 
KINSHASA 00000897  003 OF 003 
 
 
church that resulted in at least 17 of the 26 of Simon 
Kimbangu's grandchildren leaving the official church with a 
minority of followers. The group,s unofficial name is the 
Kimbangu Church "Bana 26" (meaning in support of the 26 
grandchildren), though the name is used sparingly by its 
members to avoid cementing a division they hope to resolve. 
One Kimbanguist member of Bana 26 estimated one-fifth of the 
church left at the time of the split, but a mainstream 
Kimbanguist leader told us there were no more than 3,000 
followers who left. 
 
13. (SBU) Kimbanguist members gave diverse explanations for 
the division. The former General Secretary of the church 
cited the creation of "illegitimate church legislation," 
while a Bana 26 member said the group was waiting for 
Kiangani to step down because his "extremist followers" were 
incorrectly claiming that Kiangani was a reincarnation of 
Simon Kimbangu. A current Kimbanguist leader told us Kiangani 
was Simon Kimbangu's reincarnation but said the division was 
a result of the other grandchildren demanding overly 
important positions in the church. Kimbanguist leaders told 
us the division had attracted Kabila's attention, and one 
Kimbanguist leader said Bana 26 was trying to use him as a 
mediator. 
 
--------------------- 
WHO ARE KIMBANGUISTS? 
--------------------- 
 
14. (SBU) Kimbanguists generally lead austere lives and do 
not dance, smoke, drink alcohol or practice polygamy. While 
the religion was originally based on Christianity and the 
Bible, members place great importance on prophecies and 
mystical signs, which they view as proof of God's 
manifestation in Simon Kimbangu's family. Kimbanguists told 
us they know about deaths and births of Simon Kimbangu's 
relatives in advance, and gave many examples of signs they 
said were proof of predestination by god. One practicing 
Kimbanguist told us that God revealed to followers in a 
vision that the true date of Christmas (and thus the birth of 
Jesus Christ) was May 25, which is also the birth date of 
Simon,s second son Dialungana. Other major church 
celebrations commemorate important dates in Simon Kimbangu's 
family history: April 6 for the beginning of Simon Kimbangu's 
ministry; July 8 for Diagienda's death; and October 12 for 
the death of Simon Kimbangu and the birth of Kiangani. 
 
15. (SBU) Although Kimbanguists consider themselves 
Christians they are not always considered Christians by 
Congolese outside the church, who often claimed Kimbanguists 
say Simon Kimbangu is either God the Father or Jesus Christ. 
Kimbanguists consider the Kimbangu family sacred, and always 
choose the movement,s spiritual leader from among Simon 
Kimbangu's descendants. Kimbanguists told us spiritual 
leadership decisions were "divinely inspired," and one leader 
said they were in fact "prophesied" in advance. Most 
Kimbanguists know the family history by heart and keep 
pictures of Kimbangu and his descendents around the house. 
 
------- 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
16. (SBU) The Kimbanguist church is a unique and important 
part of the Congolese identity. It carries political prestige 
because its leaders were early advocates for national 
independence. Its historic importance, socially active role 
and large following continues to attract political leaders 
who seek its support while paying respect to the memory of 
Kimbangu. When we met with Kimbanguist leaders they seemed 
more interested in their religious devotion than mainstream 
politics. Their political activities are therefore more 
likely driven more by a desire to build harmonious 
relationships with political leaders who can provide material 
support to the church. While the church is a popular domestic 
and somewhat international religion, its domestic clout may 
be diminished if internal divisions cannot be reconciled. 
MEECE