New Cosmologies and Identities

Communities that were enslaved and colonized created new cosmologies – belief systems, religious practices, and ways of knowing – to grapple with their circumstances. Through spiritual practices, cultural resistance, and distinctive forms of politics, they carved out their own sense of self and place in otherwise dehumanizing environments. These new cosmologies and identities highlight the rich polyvocality of Black life while paying attention to historical specificity.

Nkamba, also known as Nkamba New Jerusalem, is the birthplace and resting place of Congolese spiritual leader and prophet Papa Simon Kimbangu (1887–1951). Drawing from Kongo beliefs, Christianity, and Garveyist ideology, Papa Kimbangu led a peaceful movement calling for the freedom of all people of African descent. Today, Nkamba is the spiritual headquarters of the religious and socio-cultural movement Kimbanguism, one of the largest African Indigenous churches.