Kimbanguism 100 Years On: Interdisciplinary Essays on a Socio-Cultural Movement (African Histories and Modernities)

From its genesis in 1921, Kimbanguism has constituted one of the most fascinating socio-cultural movements of the Kongo region. This interdisciplinary collection covers the socio-cultural dynamics of the Kimbanguist church and its contribution to African studies over the past hundred years. Scholars renowned for their Kongo studies work, such as Wyatt MacGaffey, John M. Janzen, and John K. Thornton, contributed to this collection. Foreword Acknowledgments Contents Notes on Contributors List of Figures Introduction 1 One Hundred Years of Prophecy Part I: The Cultural Background of the Kimbanguist Movement Rethinking D. Beatriz Kimpa Vita for Contemporary Times 1 Origins of the Kongo Catholic Church 2 The Struggle for Self-Governing Kongo Catholic Church 3 The Capuchins and Kongo: The Counter-Reformation in Action 4 The Kongo Civil War 5 D Beatriz Kimpa Vita’s Afterlife References Part II: A Religious Movement Trajectory Personal Experiences of Kimbanguism as It Was (1964–1980) References The Influence of the Salvation Army on the Followers of Simon Kimbangu 1 Simon Kimbangu and His Followers 2 The Influence of the Salvation Army on Kimbangu Followers References The Relations Between the Kimbanguist and the World Council of Churches: Past and Present 1 First Contacts 2 The Application for Membership 3 The Years of the 1970s and 1980s 4 The Passing of Papa Diangienda 5 Papa Dialungana and His Ecumenical Contacts 6 Postponement of the Christmas Feast and Its Consequences 7 A New WCC General Secretary: Sam Kobia 8 Conclusion: The Last Decade, Since Busan61 References Literature Archive Material (WCC-Archive) Interview Internet Kimbanguist Diaspora in the West 1 Kimbanguist Integration in the West 2 Kimbanguist Messianism in a Diasporic Context 3 Conclusion References Blackness Politics in Congolese Churches: On the Genealogy of Simon Kimbangu Prophetism Within the Congolese Revival Movement 1 The Refusal of the Eurocentric Reading of the Bible: An Anti-colonial Heritage 2 The Revival as a Result of the Churches and State Competitions for an African and Christian Authenticity 3 Racial Emancipation and the Paradigm of Inversion 4 The Cult of the Ancestors: The Radical Breaking Point 5 Conclusion References Part III: Some Contemporary Political Religious Appropriations “Sung Resistance” in Simon Kimbangu’s Movement (1921) and Some of Its Contemporary Legacies 1 The Songs, a Place of Rallying and Confrontation Hymnological Autonomy and Diffusion of the Movement Ku zulu mbangi, the “Marseillaise” of the Prophetic Movement: Escalating Repression Catholic Exacerbation and Colonial Pragmatism 2 Between Tolerance and Persecution, Resisting with Songs 3 The Repression of Songs in the French Congo 4 Contemporary Legacies of Sung Resistance: Between Spiritual and Political Registers The Nsikumusu Movement in Congo Brazzaville 5 Alain Moloto, a Contemporary Prophet-Singer and “Fire Songs” References The Appropriation of Simon Kimbangu in Current African Religious and Political Discourses 1 Introduction 2 A Synoptic Review of Simon Kimbangu’s Name in Some Religious, Cultural, and Political Discourses African Independent Churches Political Groups from Kongo Religious Inspiration The Bundu Dia Mayala Artists from Kongo Cultural Background Popular Political Unstructured Groups and the Name of Simon Kimbangu 3 The Translatability of Simon Kimbangu in the Congolese Context References Part IV: Kongo Prophetism and the Legacy of Slavery: A Thought The Kongo Tradition of Renewal: Thoughts on Future Research 1 Act I. Prophetess-ngunza Mama Marie Kukunda Comes to Buyala to Arbitrate a Recalcitrant Conflict 2 Act II. Addressing the Conflict in Church, mu kinzambi 3 Act III. Mama Marie “digs deep” kufimpa to Diagnose the Affair 4 Act IV. Treating the nsamu Affair the Customary Way, mu bifu bia nsi 5 Act V. The Aftermath 6 Conclusion References Index