San Francisco Frontiers - Prayer, psalms -- and rap: Kinshasa priest engages youth

"Nayambi, nayambi" -- "I believe" in the local language -- he rapped, as clusters of young people jumped in time with the beat, clutching their smartphones.

"Rap is not a sin," he proclaimed, winning immediate applause from his audience in the poor neighbourhood of Ngaliema in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

With a black cap on, the 47-year-old rapping priest performed as three bodyguards kept watch over the stage.

Mongambi has become something of a celebrity in the DRC, and beyond, thanks to his rap tracks based on psalms and prayers and concerts that are widely shared on social media.

In 2023, he even rapped for Pope Francis, who was visiting the DRC at the time, in front of a cheering crowd.

In Africa's most populous Roman Catholic nation, religion is deeply embedded in everyday life in many communities and conservative views such as on same-sex relations are widely held.

"Rap is a way for me to spread the word of God," Mongambi said, sat on a bench during a break in the Bienheureuse Anuarite parish of Ngaliema.

Young people, he lamented, are increasingly giving up on Sunday Mass, or turning towards the evangelical Revival Church, which is flourishing in Kinshasa, a mega-city of nearly 17 million inhabitants.

His goal is "to bring young people back to the Church", he said.

Parish priest Augustin Mfwankama said many youngsters "no longer find any interest in the Church; they prefer to play football, go to bars or bet online".

And in recent years, "more and more kulunas" -- the name for gangs of armed youths who terrorise Kinshasa residents with violent robberies -- have plagued his district, he said.

To "bring these lost sheep back", Mfwankama pinned his hopes on "the rapping priest" after coming across him on social media.

He invited Mongambi to give a first concert in his parish three years ago.

"It's a good method to use rap, rather than a Bible in hand, to draw them in," he said.

- 'Find my way back' -

"He gave me hope to live on this earth again," said 20-year-old Chadrack Mayambi, who is getting over the death of his mother four months ago following an illness.

"I was wondering what would become of me, but when I listened to his rap, it made me want to find my way back to the Church," he said.

"If not in God, who else can one believe in?" said Mayambi, who has been picking up odd jobs on building sites since finishing his studies in electrical engineering a few months ago.

Being unemployed is common in the vast central African country, where nearly 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

With online prayers, religious music and discussions about spirituality, church leaders have tapped into the digital world to try to reach young people.

"On social media, messages can go out directly and reach everywhere," Mongambi said.

"Today's priests are capable of engaging with modernity in order to truly attract young people," the former choirboy said.

- Inspired -

Mongambi comes from the bustling Matonge neighbourhood, Kinshasa's renowned round-the-clock music hub.

He wrote his first songs as a teenager, inspired by his "idols" the American hip hop duo Kris Kross and rapper Dr. Dre.

After trying to form a music group, he said he was drawn to the Church by the actions of a parish priest who had managed to reconcile his parents and stop them from splitting up.

"I thought, I'd like to be like that man -- someone who brings families together and helps people do good," he said.

After his ordination in 2011, Mongambi wrote his first hit.

The song marked the birthday of Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo, the former archbishop of Kinshasa and a leading figure in the Church, who died in 2021.

"He's the one who supported me, he pushed me to record in the studio and he financed the production of my music videos," Mongambi said.

As one of his best-known songs tells future generations: "Ingratitude doesn’t pay."

J.Martinez--SFF