Kimwenza
Encyclopedia
Kimwenza is a community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
in the Mont Ngafula
commune in the south of the capital, Kinshasa
.
It is near to the Petites Chutes de la Lukaya
.
It is a station on the Matadi–Kinshasa Railway, built between 1890 and 1898 to connect Matadi
with Kinshasa
, bypassing the unnavigable Livingstone Falls
.
in what is now Masina.
They were the first Catholic missionaries in the area.
Within a month they moved away from the unhealthy, swampy conditions that they found to Kimwenza.
The Sainte-Marie mission, founded in July 1893, included a school to train African boys destined for the army or the priesthood.
The Jesuits felt it was essential for nuns to come and work with the local women and children, believing that Christianity would only take root if the women of the family were believers.
The Soeurs de Notre Dame de Namur set up a school there in 1894.
By 1900 the Jesuit priests were educating 100 boys, and the nuns had 169 girls.
While the fathers always saw one of their goals as being to educate priests, the sisters were at first only concerned with teaching Christianity to future wives and mothers, but in the early 1920s local women began to ask to join the sisters.
The mission was the origin for numerous religious houses and schools.
The Lycée de Kimwenza is now one of the best regarded schools of the city.
The Soeurs Clarisses had a nunnery at Kimwenza. During the troubles of 1996 it was ransacked by Rwandan soldier.
University was moved to Kimwenza.
The new location had the advantage of being closer to Leopoldville.
However, a site further north about 300 hectares (741.3 acre) in size on the crest called Mont Amba had the advantage of being even closer to the city, and in April 1952 the governor general Eugène Jungers
ceded ownership of the site to the university.
In July 1954 the university was placed under the direction of the Jesuits of the Catholic University of Louvain, and named the Université de Lovanium.
While the Jesuits aimed to educate an African elite, the Belgian colonial administration was hostile to this goal, and it was only in 1956 that they recognized the university.
After independence it was to become the University of Kinshasa
.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
in the Mont Ngafula
Mont Ngafula
Mont Ngafula is a municipality in the Lukunga district of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.It is in the hilly southern area of Kinshasa and is intersected by the Lukaya River valley in its southern portion....
commune in the south of the capital, Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
.
Location
Kimwenza is on a plateau above the main city of Kinshasa.It is near to the Petites Chutes de la Lukaya
Petites Chutes de la Lukaya
The Petites Chutes de la Lukaya is a set of small waterfalls on the Lukaya River. They are just south of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
.
It is a station on the Matadi–Kinshasa Railway, built between 1890 and 1898 to connect Matadi
Matadi
Matadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Bas-Congo province. It has a population of 245,862 . Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River from the mouth and below the last navigable point before rapids make the river impassable for a...
with Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
, bypassing the unnavigable Livingstone Falls
Livingstone Falls
Livingstone Falls — named for the explorer David Livingstone — are a succession of enormous rapids on the lower course of the Congo River in west equatorial Africa, downstream from Malebo Pool in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.-Description:Livingstone Falls consist of a series of rapids...
.
Religious establishments
In June 1893 Jesuits settled on the Ndjili RiverNdjili River
The Ndjili River is a river that flows from the south through the capital city of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it joins the Congo River...
in what is now Masina.
They were the first Catholic missionaries in the area.
Within a month they moved away from the unhealthy, swampy conditions that they found to Kimwenza.
The Sainte-Marie mission, founded in July 1893, included a school to train African boys destined for the army or the priesthood.
The Jesuits felt it was essential for nuns to come and work with the local women and children, believing that Christianity would only take root if the women of the family were believers.
The Soeurs de Notre Dame de Namur set up a school there in 1894.
By 1900 the Jesuit priests were educating 100 boys, and the nuns had 169 girls.
While the fathers always saw one of their goals as being to educate priests, the sisters were at first only concerned with teaching Christianity to future wives and mothers, but in the early 1920s local women began to ask to join the sisters.
The mission was the origin for numerous religious houses and schools.
The Lycée de Kimwenza is now one of the best regarded schools of the city.
The Soeurs Clarisses had a nunnery at Kimwenza. During the troubles of 1996 it was ransacked by Rwandan soldier.
University
In October 1951 the KisantuKisantu
Kisantu, also known as Inkisi, is a town in the western Democratic Republic of Congo, lying south west of Kinshasa, on the Inkisi River. It is known for its large cathedral and for its botanical gardens, which include an arboretum of indigenous trees....
University was moved to Kimwenza.
The new location had the advantage of being closer to Leopoldville.
However, a site further north about 300 hectares (741.3 acre) in size on the crest called Mont Amba had the advantage of being even closer to the city, and in April 1952 the governor general Eugène Jungers
Eugène Jungers
Eugène Jacques Pierre Louis Jungers was Governor-General of the League of Nations Mandate of Ruanda-Urundi from 1932 to 1946, and of the Belgian Congo from 1946 to 1951.- Early life :...
ceded ownership of the site to the university.
In July 1954 the university was placed under the direction of the Jesuits of the Catholic University of Louvain, and named the Université de Lovanium.
While the Jesuits aimed to educate an African elite, the Belgian colonial administration was hostile to this goal, and it was only in 1956 that they recognized the university.
After independence it was to become the University of Kinshasa
University of Kinshasa
The University of Kinshasa , was one of three universities, along with University of Kisangani and University of Lubumbashi, created following the division of the National University of Zaire...
.