DR Congo enjoys new bank holiday to honour clergyman

Congolese people are celebrating a new public holiday to honour Simon Kimbangu, who founded his church on 6 April 1921, when the country was still under colonial rule.

This fulfills a promise made by President Félix Tshisekedi to honour the man viewed as one of DR Congo’s independence heroes.

Father Kimbangu called for the liberation of black people from colonial rule. After only five months of preaching, he was arrested and was charged with undermining public security and disturbing the peace.

He was convicted and sentenced to death before King Albert of Belgium commuted the sentence to life in prison.

He died in jail on 12 October 1951, after 30 years in detention.

His church, the Kimbanguist church, was officially recognised by the World Council of Churches in 1969 and is believed to count about six million believers, mainly in the Central African region and the African diaspora today.

By BBC