Kayembe the Jew

All of the missionary kids had Tshiluba names when they were growing up in the Kasai. As we traveled everyone was introduced as Kalonji, Mbuyi, etc. (very prevalent names). And then there was Ira (pronounced in French as Ee-ra). After a few of these introductions, our host Rev. Ntambue christened me Kayembe, which literally means, one who explores. It is a pretty popular name in the region.

When I tell friends here in Kinshasa about my new name, they are thrilled--once they stop laughing. Especially friends from Kasai, where the name is popular. At a party soon after folks learned my new name, the DJ played a well-known song by Tshala Muana, a Muluba singer, about Kayembe that brought down the house. A few friends have gotten in the habit of introducing me as Ira Kayembe.

A teacher-friend introduced me to the principal of his school in this way: “This is Ira Kayembe. He is Muluba” (one of the Luba people). She smiled and responded: “Oh, so you are a Jew.”

The Baluba are known as the Jews of the Congo. Although they are the second largest ethnic group here, they are still a minority (because there are so many different ethnic groups). Their language, Tshiluba, is one of four national languages, and is spoken throughout the Kasai (among many ethnic groups). There are many similarities (and perceived similarities.) They spent centuries as the slaves of neighboring peoples. There was a great Baluba diaspora throughout the Congo, including large settlements in Lubumbashi. There, and elsewhere, the Baluba developed a reputation for clannishness, but also became well represented in commerce and higher education. As ethnic outsiders, they experienced continued discrimination, while also developing a prominent niche in the economy (which the colonial regime arguably exploited by using Baluba managers to supervise local populations). Many Baluba subsequently returned to their ancestral homeland in Kasai. And throughout all of this period, there have been conflicts and wars between the Baluba and their neighbors, most notably the Lalua.

Today it continues: they have a reputation for arrogance. I have heard stories such as a landlord asking potential renters if they were Muluba. (My friend, who incidentally is not Muluba, refused to answer at first. He tried to explain to the landlord that, “We are all Congolese.” And he did not rent the place.) I am told that while intermarriage is increasingly commonplace among younger folks in Kinshasa, many families are reluctant to have their daughters marry Muluba men. (I am told that this prejudice does not hold for Muluba women.)