Kongo religion
| Kongo religion | |
|---|---|
Male Power Figure (Nkisi), Kongo artist and nganga, late 19th–mid-20th century, Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Type | Bakongo |
| Region | Central Africa |
| Language | Kikongo |
| Territory | The northern tip of Angola • western Democratic Republic of the Congo • the southern tip of Gabon • the southern half of the Republic of the Congo |
| Origin | Kingdom of Vungu • Seven Kingdoms of Kongo dia Nlaza |
| Part of a series on |
| African traditional religions |
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Kongo religion (Kikongo: Bukongo or Bakongo) encompasses the traditional spiritual beliefs of the Bakongo people. Due to the highly centralized position of the Kingdom of Kongo, its leaders were able to influence much of the traditional religious practices across the Congo Basin. As a result, many other ethnic groups and kingdoms in West-Central Africa, like the Chokwe and Ambundu, adopted elements of Bakongo spirituality.
The spirituality is based on a complex animistic system and a pantheon of spirits. The principle Creator God of the world is Nzambi Ampungu, the sovereign master, and his female counterpart, Nzambici. While Nzambi Ampungu, who gave birth to the universe and the spirits who inhabit it, is vital to the spirituality, ancestor veneration is the core principle.
The Bakongo cosmos is split between two worlds: the top half representing the physical world, or ku nseke and the bottom half representing the spiritual world, or ku mpèmba. Expert healers, known as Banganga, undergo extensive training to commune with the ancestors in the spiritual realms and seek guidance from them.