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Culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: African Geography

   The culture of the Democratic Republic of the Congo reflects the
   diversity of its hundreds of ethnic groups and their differing ways of
   life throughout the country—from the mouth of the River Congo on the
   coast, upriver through the rainforest and savanna in its centre, to the
   more densely populated mountains in the far east. Since the late 19th
   century, traditional ways of life have undergone changes brought about
   by colonialism, the struggle for independence, the stagnation of the
   Mobutu era, and most recently, the First and Second Congo Wars. Despite
   these pressures, the customs and cultures of the Congo have retained
   much of their individuality. The country's 60 million inhabitants are
   mainly rural. The 30 percent who live in urban areas have been the most
   open to Western influences.

People, language and background

   Map of the major Bantu languages in the Democratic Republic of the
   Congo
   Enlarge
   Map of the major Bantu languages in the Democratic Republic of the
   Congo

   Like many African countries, the borders were drawn up by colonial
   powers, and bore little relation to the actual spread of
   ethno-linguistic groups. There are around 250 languages spoken in the
   country, with perhaps a similar amount of ethnic groups. Broadly
   speaking, there are four main population groups:
     * Pygmies, the earliest inhabitants of the Congo, are generally
       hunter-gatherers who live in the forests. Expert in the ways of the
       forest, where they have lived for thousands of years, they live by
       trading meat hunted in the forest with their taller, farming
       neighbors in exchange for agricultural products. Increasingly, they
       are becoming absorbed into non-pygmy society, and adopting their
       languages and customs.
     * Bantus arrived in the Congo in several waves from 2000 BC to 500
       AD, in most part from the area in what is now southern Nigeria.
       They are by far the largest group, and the majority live as
       farmers. They are present in almost every part of the country, and
       their languages make up three of the five officially-recognized
       languages. These three languages are Kikongo, Lingala, and
       Tshiluba. Kikongo is spoken by the Kongo people in the far west of
       the country, both on the coast and inland, and was promoted by the
       Belgian colonial administration. Elements of Kikongo have survived
       amongst the descendants of slaves in the Americas—for instance, the
       language of the Gullah people of South Carolina contains elements
       of Kikongo. Lingala, spoken in the capital Kinshasa, is
       increasingly understood throughout the country, as the lingua
       franca of trade, spoken along the vast Congo river and its many
       tributaries. Lingala's status as the language of the national army,
       as well its use in the lyrics of popular Congolese music, has
       encouraged its adoption, and it is now the most prominent language
       in the country. Tshiluba (also known as Chiluba and Luba-Kasai) is
       spoken in the southeastern Kasai region.
     * East Africans brought in the fourth of the official languages,
       Kingwana—a Congolese dialect of Swahili. Note that the fifth
       language, French, is the official language of government, a result
       of Congo's colonial relationship with Belgium. The East Africans
       are related to the Bantus mentioned above, but tend to differ in
       their way of life, in that they practice herding as well as
       farming. They came from the various countries to the east of Congo:
       Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania, bringing with them many of
       the ethnic rivalries that have inflamed recent conflicts.
     * Hamites, who originally come from Darfur in southern Sudan and
       Ethiopia, are pastoral cattle raisers. They include the Tutsi,
       possibly the tallest people in the world. The Hamites also migrated
       into the Rwanda and Burundi around the same time. Often mixing with
       the East Africans, they are found in the east and north east of the
       country, and generally have a more martial culture than other
       Congolese groups.

   The above descriptions are by necessity simplified. Many Congolese are
   multilingual, and the language used depends on the context. For
   instance, a government official might use French to set a tone of
   formality and authority with another official, use Lingala when buying
   goods at a market, and the local language when in his home village.
   English is also spoken, especially in the east.

   Mixed marriages between ethnic groups are common, particularly in urban
   areas where many different groups live side by side. Europeans appear
   in small numbers throughout the country, as missionaries in the
   countryside, and as businessmen and traders in the cities. Also acting
   as merchants are small numbers of Lebanese and Pakistanis.

   More information on the various peoples in Congo can be found in the
   Early Congolese History article.

Religions and beliefs

   Branhamist worshippers in Kinshasa
   Enlarge
   Branhamist worshippers in Kinshasa

   The main religions in the DRC are:
     * Indigenous traditional beliefs: 11.5%
     * Roman Catholic Christianity: 41%
     * Protestant Christianity: 32%
     * Indigenous Christianity: 13.5%, nearly all of whom (13%) are
       followers of Kimbanguism.
     * Other Christian denominations: 1%
     * Islam: 1.5%

   There are small communities of Jews and Hindus who work in commercial
   urban areas. Atheism is very rare.

Indigenous traditional beliefs

   Though only 11.5 per cent of Congolese exclusively follow indigenous
   beliefs, these traditional belief systems are often intermingled with
   forms of Christianity, and are familiar to the majority of Congolese.
   Throughout the DRC the beliefs take on a number of forms, but they have
   a number of things in common:
     * A creator spirit is thought to be sovereign of the spirit world,
       but this god is rarely the direct cause of events. In many
       Congolese languages, the name of the creator god derives from the
       word father or maker. Some groups regard the creator being "all
       around", whilst others believe the god lives in the sky. For most
       believers in indigenous religions, contact with the creator god is
       made via ancestor spirits. A smaller number of groups believe that
       individuals can have direct contact.
     * A belief in an essential life-force which animates the body, The
       force is thought to leave the body upon death and become an
       ancestor spirit. These spirits continue to be active in the lives
       of living relatives—by either punishing or rewarding them. In a
       similar way to saints in the Catholic tradition, some long-dead
       ancestors (for instance, great hunters or religious leaders) are
       venerated by people outside their former family.
     * Nature spirits, worshipped mainly in forested regions, are often
       the embodiment of particular locations such as whirlpools, springs
       and mountains. The afterlife is believed to exist underground,
       especially under lakes, where ghostly replicas of Congolese
       villages reside.
     * Fetishes—supernaturally empowered objects which can help or hinder.
     * Diviners, witches, dream interpreters and healers act as conduits
       for supernatural forces.
     * Ceremonies and collective prayers—to ancestors, nature spirits and
       the creator god—are generally performed at particular locations
       such as sacred trees, grottoes or crossroads. These ceremonies
       usually take place at a specific time of day. The location and
       times vary according to the ethnic group.

   Belief in Witchcraft is common, and sometimes intersects with the more
   fundamentalist and evangelical versions of Christianity. In recent
   years, these beliefs have gained adherents in urban areas, whereas
   before they were mainly confined to the countryside. The increasing
   beliefs in witches and sorcery have tended to mirror the social decay
   caused by war and poverty. Many of the street children that roam the
   Congo's cities have been cast out of their families after being
   denounced as witches. These homeless 'witch children' often live in
   cemeteries and only come out at night, and follow occult practices. See
   BBC News article on Kinshasa's street children. For comparison, see
   article on beliefs of Miami street children.

Catholic and Protestant Christianity

   A Congolese Christian
   Enlarge
   A Congolese Christian

   Christianity has a long history in Congo, dating back to 1484, when the
   Portuguese arrived and convinced the king and entourage of the Kongo
   people to convert. In 1506 a Portuguese-supported candidate for
   kingship, Alfonso I of Kongo won the throne. Alfonso (the Kongo royal
   family had begun to take on Portuguese names), established relations
   with the Vatican. More widespread conversion occurred during the
   Belgian colonial era. Christianity varies in its forms, and is in some
   ways surprisingly similar to native beliefs.

   During the colonial period, a European-style Christianity was at first
   promoted by the authorities. Native Congolese generally attended
   different churches or services than whites. If they worshipped under
   the same roof, the native Congolese sat on benches at the back, while
   the whites sat in chairs at the front. Towards the end of the colonial
   era, more African elements were incorporated into Christianity,
   including songs and dances which were formerly condemned as pagan.
   Eventually, even native fables and myths were appropriated and merged
   into Congolese Christianity, in a similar process to that which
   occurred with Christianity in Europe.

   Recent developments include the increasing popularity of the "Gospel of
   Prosperity" – a form of Christianity where the emphasis is on wealth
   acquisition and born-again Christianity. Adherents are led to believe
   that instant wealth and magical prosperity will result from giving
   tithes to their charismatic preacher. The leaders often draw on the
   techniques of American tele-evangelists, and the message is appealing
   to those living in extreme poverty.

Kimbanguism and Indigenous Christianity

   In the first half on the 20th century, prophetic movements sprang up.
   Their nature was both anti-colonial and Christian, and led to a
   rigorous crackdown by the authorities.

   Simon Kimbangu was the prophet of largest of these movements. He was
   born in a village near Kinshasa, raised and educated by a Protestant
   Christian mission and trained to become a priest. In April 1921, at the
   age of 39, he reportedly had a religious vision of Jesus Christ, who
   called on him to reconvert his people and dedicate his life to Christ.
   Kimbangu chose to try to ignore the vision, and fled to Kinshasa where
   he abandoned his life as a priest and took to menial work. More visions
   came, and eventually he heeded the calling and returned to his home
   village and started to devote his life to Christ. Soon after, he is
   reported to have healed a sick woman by laying his hands on her. Dozens
   of apparent miracles were subsequently performed by Kimbangu, and he
   gained followers from surrounding villages and towns. The official
   Catholic organizations protested to the authorities, and the Protestant
   church abandoned him. The economic effects of Kimbangu's ministry were
   being felt, with thousands of Congolese leaving their work to listen to
   Kimbangu speak. In June the Belgians arrested him for inciting
   revolution and civil disobedience. Four months later he was sentenced
   to death. After an international outcry, Albert I of Belgium commuted
   to the sentence to life impisonment. He died 30 years later in prison,
   in 1951.

   Colonial authorities assumed his movement would wither after his
   imprisonment and death, but the church continued to flourish
   underground, and was an effective weapon in the fight against
   colonialism. In the post-colonial era, its record has been more mixed.
   Instead of banning the church, Mobutu used a far more effective method
   of neutralizing it: namely co-opting the church and giving it an
   official status. Kimbanguism has now spread across the country, and now
   has branches in nine of the surrounding countries, making it the most
   popular "native" form of Christianity in Africa. Followers do not
   smoke, drink alcohol and abhor violence. Monogamy is practiced.

Religion today

   Article 22 of the constitution allows for religious freedom. These
   rights are generally respected by the government . Religious tension
   exists in some areas because of the link between prophetic groups and
   paramilitary organizations. In the turbulent eastern region, where the
   Second Congo War still simmers, some guerrilla groups have a major
   religious element, believing for instance that they are able to turn
   enemy bullets into water by wearing certain fetishes.

food and drink

   Congolese farmer with his crops
   Enlarge
   Congolese farmer with his crops

   Less than 2% of land is cultivated, and most of this is used for
   subsistence farming. People gather wild fruit, mushrooms, honey etc;
   hunt (see bushmeat); and fish. They will often sell these foodstuffs at
   markets, or by the roadside. Cattle breeding and the development of
   large-scale agricultural businesses has been hindered by the recent war
   and the poor quality of the road system.

   Congo's farmland is the source of a wide variety of crops. These
   include maize, rice, cassava (manioc), sweet potatoes, yam, taro,
   plantain, tomatoes, pumpkin and varieties of peas and nuts. These foods
   are eaten throughout the country, but there are also regional dishes.
   The most important crops for export are coffee and palm oil.
   Woman carrying bananas
   Enlarge
   Woman carrying bananas

   Congolese meals often consist a starchy ingredient, along with
   vegetables and meat in the form of a stew. The starch can come in the
   form of a paste or mash made of cassava and/or corn flour, called fufu
   or ugali. When eaten, the fufu is rolled into golf ball-sized balls and
   dipped into the spicy stew—often an indentation is made with the thumb
   in order to bring up a thimbleful of sauce. A type of fermented bread,
   kwanga, made from cassava, is commercially produced throughout the
   country. Lituma is a popular plantain dish made from mashed plantains
   which are formed into balls and baked. Sweet potatoes are prepared in a
   similar way, and mixed with roasted peanuts in some parts of the
   country. Rice is often mixed with beans. To accompany these starchy
   ingredients, green vegetables such as cassava leaves, tshitekutaku (a
   spinach-like plant) and okra are often added. Mushrooms, especially
   prized amongst the Luba people, are often seen as a substitute for meat
   in times of shortage. Though actual vegetarianism is unknown, most
   meals are eaten without meat due to its high price.

   Fish are plentiful along the River Congo, its tributaries, and various
   lakes; and are baked, boiled or fried for immediate consumption; or
   smoked or salted when preserved. Markets often sell ready-to-eat
   peppered fish baked in banana leaves. Goat is the most widely consumed
   meat. Mwambe is a common way of cooking chicken with peanut sauce.
   Edible insects such as grasshoppers and caterpillars are eaten; they
   tend to have a nutty flavour.

   Sauces to mix with the ingredients above can be made with tomatoes,
   onions, and the local aromatic herbs. Vegetable oil, together with
   salt, hot red chile pepper and sweet green pepper are used to impart
   extra flavour. These spices are less frequently used in the far south.

Nganda restaurants

   Kinshasa's nganda restaurants, with a greater mix of ethnicities, are
   ethnic restaurants serving food from specific parts of the country, as
   well as Western imports such as bread and beer. Often owned by
   unmarried women, the nganda occupy a middle ground between bars and
   restaurants. Three typical types of nganda restaurants are:
     * Riverside nganda serve baked fish served with cooked plantains:
       recipes from up river.
     * Kongo nganda serve fish dishes with a vegetable sauce, together
       with kwanga mentioned above. These dishes originate downriver from
       Kinshasa.
     * Kasai nganda serve goat meat with rice and green vegetables.

   Nganda restaurants are often geared not only to specific regions, but
   also different classes—from migrant menial workers and miners, to
   professionals and government officials.

Dress and fashion

   Congolese woman with fashion designs
   Enlarge
   Congolese woman with fashion designs
   Two men in Kinshasa. The younger mans clothing recalls Billism
   Enlarge
   Two men in Kinshasa. The younger mans clothing recalls Billism

   Older members of more remote Congolese communities can remember when
   Congolese used to dress in clothes made of raffia and bark. Today, such
   clothing is mostly seen only in ceremonial or ritual contexts.
   Colonialism brought in Western attire. During the Mobutu era, a kind of
   Mao suit called the abacost (derived from à bas le costume - "down with
   the suit") was promoted, as part of the Authenticity campaign (whose
   aim was to move away from Western values). Ties and Western-style
   jackets were even banned. Since the abacost was relatively expensive,
   men took to wearing West African style patterned shirts. Ironically,
   the cloth used for these "authentic" shirts is often imported from the
   Netherlands and the United States.

   For women, the typical clothing today is a wrap made of printed cloth,
   together with a kerchief to cover the hair. Jewellery is generally kept
   to a minimum, apart from on special occasions. For men, patterned
   shirts over trousers, or western-style suits predominate. In urban
   areas, and amongst Congolese abroad, there is often an emphasis on
   sharply dressed elegance—this is intricately connected to the
   subculture of soukous and rumba music. Young Congolese in the cities
   also look towards African-American Hip hop fashion for inspiration.
   Several Congolese fashion designers have become successful in Paris.

Music

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   Congo"
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