Video: What is tribalism?
In this conversation recorded in 2023, Bishops Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, Gabriel Unda, and Mande Muyombo define and discuss tribalism.
The conversation is a result of the United Methodist Council of Bishop’s commitment to doing the work of anti-racism, both within the Council and within the Church, and the realization that a sole focus on US-based racism would itself be a manifestation of racism.
“Everyone in Congo knows that it is tribalism that is destroying all of Congo today. I would define tribalism as the love of one’s tribe so that only my tribe is good.”
- Bishop Gabriel Unda
“I would add that one of the factors that suffers from tribalism is marriage. where young girls and boys are practically forbidden to marry when they are from different tribes.”
- Bishop Mande Muyombo
Watch the entire conversation below
Video transcript:
Bishop Moore-Koikoi: I am Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, and I'm here with my colleagues, Bishop Unda and Bishop Mande. It is so good to be able to be here to have this conversation with them. After the racially motivated murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Council of Bishops recommitted itself to doing the work of anti-racism, both within the Council and within the church. And as we did our own internal work, we came to a collective understanding that focusing on U.S.-based issues was, in fact, a manifestation of racism itself. So we began to have conversations about how we might do this work beyond a U.S.-based work. And so I'm so grateful to my colleagues who serve in the central part of Africa, who have helped us to understand the similarities and the differences between racism and tribalism. So let's start from the basics. What is tribalism? How would you define it, and how does it manifest itself in your context?
Bishop Unda: Thank you very much. I am Unda Yemba Gabriel, with Methodist Union in East Congo and the Central African Republic. Thank you very much for the question. The question must be too broad, too broad, because in Congo it is a big question. And the whole world is talking about it, tribalism, the whole world knows that in Congo it is tribalism that is destroying the whole of Congo today. But I first define tribalism as being the love of one's tribe. It is not good that it is my tribe, the other tribe is nothing. Are you going to translate? Yes. It is not good that it is my tribe, so the other tribe is nothing.
The other can not, so there is only my tribe that counts and not another. This is what we define as tribalism in our country and which is destroying the country, the great country that you know very well, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Bishop Mande: Thank you, Bishop. I would also like to add to what my colleague just said. Tribalism in itself is a discrimination based on a tribal difference. It is true that Africa, or even Congo in particular, is blessed by several tribes. It is true that Africa, or even Congo in particular, is blessed by several tribes. It is true that Africa, or even Congo in particular, is blessed by several tribes. However, it is also true that there are some tribes who are different in terms of, I would say even morphology, in terms of language, in terms of customs, but as the bishop just said, it is this discrimination of always wanting to favor the one with whom you speak the same language, the one with whom you have almost the same morphology and the one with which you have the same uses and customs.
I would add that one of the factors that suffers from tribalism is marriage, where young girls and boys are practically forbidden to get married when they are from different tribes. But we have realized that love transcends tribal differences. This is what I can add in terms of definition of tribalism.
Bishop Moore-Koikoi: Thank you. So, how does tribalism harm us spiritually as individuals and then also as a Christian community? How does tribalism impact our discipleship?
Bishop Unda: Yes. Tribalism destroys the foundation of the Church. Because a tribalist, someone who is a tribalist, does not work or does not favor his own people. The members of his family do not favor his brothers and sisters, or his own friends. And this is what provokes all that we are living today.
And when others see that we are acting like this, they rise up against this one and it provokes. It provokes. So, the Church today, today, is destroyed by these tribalists, who are trying to take anything that belongs to them. Even if they do not know anything. Even if there are skills somewhere. They do not take into account. They simply take what is theirs and they put it there, as long as there is something to live with. At the expense of the skills.
Bishop Mande: I would also like to add by saying that in terms of disciples, it leads to dysfunction. Because as disciples of Jesus Christ, we recognize that we have all been created in the image of God.
So, when you make a difference between a tribe and another, you are practically breaking the very essence of creation, especially in terms of this theological notion of being created in the image of God. You know, for example, that throughout the history of our continent, even to this day, there have been several conflicts based on tribal differences. They are called tribal conflicts. Because sometimes, as the bishop just said, when we have resources to share, whether they are economic, financial resources, and many other resources, we tend to want to serve the other tribe than the other. So, even in terms of leadership, Monsignor Runda said that a tribalist no longer looks at the skills. Even if the one who is his or her own does not have the skills to occupy a certain position of leadership, he or she tends to give responsibilities to someone in his tribe. And this leaves others in a state of frustration. As you know, when there is too much frustration, there is violence and conflicts. So, even within the Church, it no longer allows us to live as true disciples of Jesus, because there are those who feel discriminated against, who feel rejected, because they do not feel they are members of the Church, of the Christian community. I would even say that the meaning of baptism is complicated at this time.
Bishop Moore-Koikoi: Thank you. As United Methodist, the Bible, Scripture, has always been primary in how we discern how God wants us to be in the world. What Bible passages do you believe speak to tribalism?
Bishop Unda: Yes, the passages are legion. They are numerous. I would not be able to tell you all here, but I can tell you that the passages that deal with tribalism, for example, you will remember when Jesus came back from somewhere and he found this gift. A lady who said to him, 'Are you older than our ancestor Abraham, who gave us this place where we are drinking water?' This is tribalism. This is tribalism. And this woman forgot that it is he, it is he who comes to atone for the sins of the world. It is the Lamb of God who comes to atone for the sins of the world. I would not be able, Bishop, to tell you all the passages, but they are numerous. The only passage that I believe that shows me that there is tribalism in the Bible is this woman, this Samaritan woman who told Jesus that you are no longer great, you are greater than our ancestor Abraham.
Bishop Mande: On my side, the passage that helps me to address this problem of tribalism is in Galatians 3:28 when Jesus says in Christ there are neither Jews nor Greeks. As you know, there were so many cultural differences between the Jews and the Greeks, even philosophical, and especially when it was necessary to talk even about circumcision. There are those who thought that salvation was only for Christians who had to believe in Judaism, or they were called the Judaizers. As soon as Paul said no, salvation, Christ opened the arms to all humanity. And in any case, for me, the passage of Galatians is fundamental in terms of being able to address the problem of tribalism from a biblical point of view.
Bishop Moore-Koikoi: So both Old Testament and New Testament passages that speak directly to tribalism. Thank you. Thank you for sharing. Thank you. Yes. What has your College of Bishops and what has the Methodist Church in your area done to address tribalism?
Bishop Unda: Oh. We have done a lot, Bishop. Yes, we have done a lot. I will start first by thanking Jiko. Yes, frankly. Jiko, since the time of Erin, we have worked, Gio was there, and the others. We have tried to show to everyone that Jiko is helping us. He is helping us to eliminate the problem of tribalism, to fight against injustices. Because this is what makes people kill each other today because of this. If I have to show you the images of how people kill each other because of tribalism, they kill each other because of everything. Here in your country, here in America, you have the problem of racism.
It is racism. You call it racism here. But in Africa, we call it tribalism. And at the level of our central conference in Congo, the College of Bishops, we have met a lot. If you were there when we met in Tunda, you would see the wonders of this world. Everyone was there. We met. We did the caravan of peace with all the children of God. We sang. We celebrated together. It was magnificent. It was wonderful. And here we are showing people that we are all together. We are sons of God. Where people did not greet each other, today, they are greeting each other. I learned, for example, my neighbor from the central Congo, yes, there is a side, because he is not with us now, there is a side of Katakoumbe. People are together. My neighbor from North Katanga is there. Maybe he himself will speak for him. The side where people were killing each other. We are trying to get together. Even we, too, even though it continues because it is too vast, but we are trying to understand each other little by little. We did a lot at the level of EDICOR. And then, passing through the Methodist Church United in the World and at the level of the Collège of the Bishops.
Bishop Mande: I also wanted to add, you know; we must thank this time to GCORR for the support that you showed us, especially in terms of organization of seminars, of awareness on the eradication of tribalism. As the bishop just said, at the level of the central conference, the Methodist Church United in the Congo as a great church within Protestant churches, we, our prophetic message in a country that has 450 tribes and that has experienced conflicts based on the tribes. With your support, the United Methodist Church is in the process of being able to eradicate this phenomenon of tribalism through awareness seminars. For those of us concerned, in particular, the great conflict that I had at the level of the annual conference of Tanganyika, is the conflict between the Pygmies and the Bantus. And there, GCORR accompanied us in a seminar in two phases, first phase and second phase, and we received congratulations from civil society, from the central government, and even from private operators, businessmen; in the sense that there is now a cohabitation that begins to be felt between the community of Pygmies and the community of Bantus. And we are continuing to work with our brothers of the Roman Catholic Church on this issue because it has killed a lot of people.
My superiors and my delegates could not pass in certain areas where there were Pygmies because the Pygmies killed with arrows in Ibetta, poisoned. But currently these areas have become free; I have the pleasure to announce that the annual conference of Tanganyika in 2023 will take place in a place close to the community of Pygmies. Once again, a big thank you to GCORR for this support and to Secretary-General Giovanni and yourself as President of the GCORR Board of Directors.
Bishop Moore-Koikoi: As President of GCORR it has been my honor to partner with you in this work and our General Secretary Giovanni Arroyo has helped us all to figure out how we can help to resource the work that you are doing, the work that God is doing through you to just come alongside you. It has been my honor to do that work with you.
So, if you could have three wishes, what would you wish could be done to eradicate tribalism? What would you think would be the next small step that could be taken in order to make your wishes come true?
Bishop Unda: Yes, you know that peace is a process because to eradicate tribalism, to get to peace there must be a whole process. We are very determined and happy with what is happening everywhere, especially in Congo. I say everywhere. We are observing from here and there even if people are still fighting but it is still very well. But three suggestions. I suggest that there be equity. When people are going to share what is common for everyone together, I think that there will not too many problems at the base.
And I also suggest that people should be loving which is love. Because if there is no love, we will never to eradicate tribalism. We will always stay there. And finally, I say that people must get closer. We need mutual support. We will eradicate tribalism.
Bishop Mande: For my part, the three things I will ask. The first is to thank you for raising this debate of this question of tribalism at a higher level. I believe that it has to be accompanied by tribalism, racism and colonialism. Historically, as you know, in 1885, at the Berlin Conference, there was this sharing of Africa as a cake by the Western countries. Thus, peoples were separated. So, I would say that these three elements are the birds of the same feather. So, we must always continue to talk about colonialism, racism, and tribalism.
And I would like to thank you for your approach. The second thing I wanted to ask is about theological teaching. It seems to me that theological teaching at the level of Africa has not yet addressed deeply the question of tribalism. We have the impression that everyone is an accomplice because there are still tribal churches. We know that this church, this community belongs to a certain tribe. But we must reach a level where we will have a representative church of all the diversities that God has created to represent a true kingdom of God. This is the second element. The third element is the awareness at the level of leadership, whether religious, political, civil society or the private sector. Because we have the impression that politics for example always seeks to manipulate tribal differences for their own benefit.
And this is why we are always assisting tribal conflicts. Let me also open a parenthesis to say that today in the elections people often vote according to their tribal line. Even if someone is from my tribe and does not have the skills to be a deputy or a president, because he is from my tribe, I must vote. This is where I once again thank GCORR and the other agencies who have just approved a program to raise awareness of the electoral process so that people can choose leaders not based on tribal affiliations but on the skills we need to advance our nation and our continent. Thank you.
Bishop Moore-Koikoi: I'm so grateful to the two of you for the ways in which you are helping the Council of Bishops understand the relationship between racism, tribalism, and colonialism. I'm also grateful for your vision and for your hope of us being able to discern a different way of being together, for us to impact racism, tribalism, and colonialism even as it manifests itself today. So as you consider the future of the United Methodist Church in the DRC, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in East Africa, and its commitment, the church's commitment to anti-tribalism, how would you complete this sentence? “In the midst of tribal conflict, God's dream for us is... In the midst of tribal conflict, God's dream for us is…”
Bishop Unda: God's dream is to create a world where life has a life of existence. A life. That's the reason God said to create the world. He said to the first man, 'subject the earth.' I give you subject because it's because of ourselves, because we have come to what we know today. But when we practice love, and when the world will understand God's dream that God created this world so that the world goes towards its better purpose, towards a better world. In any case, we will live as God wanted.
Bishop Mande: I would like to add by saying that God's dream is that we can embrace unity in diversity. Tribes in themselves are not a problem. Tribes in themselves are a blessing of God. Here I make an analogy with the children of Israel, where there were twelve tribes, but David brought them back together as the tribal confederation and wanted to make Israel a strong nation. Africa will not be strong or Congo will not be strong unless all the tribes get together by recognizing, by celebrating their diversity while being united in love.
Bishop Moore-Koikoi: Bishop Unda, I know that because of your ability to see God's dream, you've made some cross-tribal appointments. I'd like for you to share with us how those appointments have gone, how you're supporting those people who are serving in those cross tribal appointments. How are they doing today?
Bishop Unda: Thank you very much. If we had a lot of time, I was going to talk a lot about this. And if we had the means, I’d even go around to all your areas to your churches to explain how we went about doing this. We were appointed to a region completely, I apologize for the term, torn apart. Completely disunited. As Bishop Mande said, we tried to bring God’s children together and that task wasn’t easy. To take someone from the East; the East, where they are at war to bring them over to the other side. The two extremes that were killing each other yesterday, becoming friends and approaching each other bringing them today, it wasn’t easy.
And today when I go all over the region looking over the work of evangelization, I see that something great has happened. We have realized the dream of God, the dream of God who wanted the world to be united, God who wanted the world to live in peace; we did it by putting everyone together, regardless of where they come from. For example, we don’t think of a person first and foremost as a Mutetela. As Bishop Mande said, there are 450 tribes, we don’t think this person is a Mutetela, or a Muswahili, or Mungala, or whomever. You’re going to find a Muswahili from very far away and you will find a Mungala from the other extreme, they are living together in harmony. And we say that people must love each other; we need God’s love so that we can achieve what God has called us to do in this world.
Bishop Moore-Koikoi: Wonderful, wonderful. Bishop Mande, I want to give you the opportunity to respond to that question too.
Bishop Mande: It is a very good question. I want to share a personal story. The person who is my protocol, who has even the key to my office, belongs to a tribe that is very antagonistic to the people of my province; I would even say to my province, it is a Kassaïan, I am from Katanga. The fact that I gave her the opportunity, she keeps my key; it is hers, before seeing me, you have to go through her; her community feels respected and I have even received thanks.
Also, at the level of my assistant treasurer, he is from a tribe called Ouround, which is a minority. Yes. It is true that where we are, there are more Lubas of Katanga, but the fact of giving her this position, her community also feels respected. These are some of the testimonies that we are living. But I must admit that it is not easy. It requires a strong leadership; it requires that there is an aspect of telling the truth, but also to seek reconciliation, but also to seek forgiveness and what you call in English healing. Healing.
Bishop Moore-Koikoi: Yes, this work is not easy. And I am so grateful for the two of you for hanging in there and doing this work together.
I would like to give you the opportunity, if there is anything else that you would like to share with the church about tribalism, I would like for you to just take that opportunity now to share.
Bishop Unda: Yes. So, we can start with the youngest. Bishop Mande can start.
Bishop Mande: Well, I believe that the weapon that we have to overcome tribalism is love, as the Bishop Wounda said. The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. And I think that we are from the same tribe. We are children of God, created in the image of God. This is what we are. I believe that we must elevate our Christian, Wesleyan identity. And John Wesley insisted on grace.
I believe that whatever our differences, whatever the difference of our colors, of our way of appearing, of our noses, of our eyes, I believe that the grace of God is perfect. I believe that we, the Methodists, we have this notion of John Wesley of grace, which is a blessing to fight tribalism. That's it.
Bishop Unda: Thank you. Thank you. I would like to thank GCORR first. I would like to thank you personally, my colleague Bishop Moore-Koikoi. I would like to thank GCORR. I would also like to thank the Secretary General and the entire communication team for this wonderful time that you wanted to accept, so that we could be together and expose you to what you do not know. Maybe what we have just said here, you have never heard of what is happening in Congo.
We are very happy. The people of Congo are very happy here. The problem we want to add, quite simply, we ask you for prayer. Prayer for us, we are in the process of, years in advance. We want what we have already taken as a plan to be successful, so that we can go further and succeed. We also want to distinguish Because if it is about Congo, even if the other two colleagues are not there, but we are talking about Congo, we are really sure that with the attitude we have in our country, if we continue like this, we will succeed. But with the help of the Church. Outside the Church, nothing can work. But with the help of the Church, everything is possible. Because if the Church gives the money, soon, in less than 8 months, the general elections of the country will take place.
It is then that we will see how people will start. Because if they don't have the money, they will kill each other, they will mistreat each other, and so on. And by then, next year, there will be the conference, the sessions, the ordinary conferences, the central conferences. But all this, it will arouse; there will be animosity, there will be animosity. But we must have the Spirit of God upon us all, so that we can live the love of God. We want the love of God. The love of God covers all kinds of sins. Outside of love, there is nothing.
Bishop Moore-Koikoi: Thank you very much. Thank you, thank you. It is such a blessing to be serving with you on the Council of Bishops for such a time as this. We have committed ourselves as a Council of Bishops to do this work together. Scripture demands it. Our discipleship demands it. We will do it together.