Chapter 2

The Baluba Answer

The Baluba are an ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo composed of many clans. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Baluba built a sophisticated Iron Age civilization, with artisans in settled communities using advanced metal extraction and metal working techniques. As demand for the fruits of Baluba artisans’ labor grew, so did trade with foreign tribes, leading to economic prosperity for the Baluba. This enabled the many clans to unite into one kingdom circa 1500 CE. Interestingly, the Baluba kingdom had a hereditary monarch and a council of elders, with checks and balances between the two governing bodies. This innovative governmental attribute enabled the rapid resolution of succession disputes and provided the kingdom with the flexibility required to maintain successful diplomatic relations. In fact, the Baluba government model was so well respected, that several other kingdoms adopted it. The Baluba kingdom flourished both politically and economically and reached a population size of roughly a million people at its peak. Sadly, the havoc wreaked in the 19th century by European colonial powers tore the kingdom apart. The Baluba never fully recovered from the violence of the slave trade, and today small chiefdoms replace the once great unified kingdom.

The Bambudye was a secret society in the Baluba kingdom. Tasked with keeping the traditions of the Baluba alive, it employed official “men of memory” who taught oral histories and ancient customs to people throughout the realm. Similarly to the Baluba government model, the Bambudye was held in great esteem by neighboring kingdoms, some of which established similar societies of their own. One of the most touching stories the Bambudye were responsible for teaching is the Baluba account of the creation of humans. This beautifully poignant tale links our creation to the creator’s invisibility, a fact so often lamented in religious traditions.

In the Baluba narrative of the creation of humans, Kabezya-Mpungu, the highest god, created a man and a woman and gifted them Reason. Kabezya-Mpungu then balanced the sun with the darkness, and decided to leave the mortal realm. To make up for his absence, Kabezya-Mpungu sent the people a heart, the divine part of humans. The heart, crying, searched for its creator, but could not find him. Undeterred, the heart resolved to enter human bodies in order to seek Kabezya-Mpungu for generations to come. And that is why every human is born with a heart, the part of us that longs for our creator.