Middle School (6-8)

High School (9-12)

• Internet access

In 1996, Bishop Ntambo Nkulu Ntanda became a bishop of the United Methodist Church in the Katanga province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He served in the role through the First and Second Congo Wars, armed conflicts that killed more than 5.4 million people.

As Bishop, he organized care for unhoused children, which reduced recruitment of child soldiers, and built churches and fishponds. Bishop Ntambo also provided refuge for internally displaced people (people that are forced to move to another place within the same country), and he identified clergy and lay leaders to organize relief and support for those in areas of heavy violence.

He obtained food and medical supplies from the United Methodist Committee on Relief and distributed them to affected communities through his relationships with local Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, and Muslim leaders. In 1998, he created Kamisamba Farm, an agricultural training center that develops ways to sustainably feed the displaced.

Religious, governmental, traditional/tribal, and military leaders have all identified Bishop Ntambo as a spiritual guide, and such relationships with diverse individuals make him an effective mediator. In 2004, the government asked Bishop Ntambo to hold a peace conference with the Mai-Mai (or Mayi-Mayi) militia in Katanga, a group labeled “evil” by the national army. Bishop Ntambo and his pastors reduced the “otherness” of the Mai-Mai militia group. At a time when even the governor would not meet Chinja Chinja, the Mai-Mai leader, Bishop Ntambo invited Chinja Chinja to dinner in his home. Bishop Ntambo made it clear that the Mai-Mai were “children of the community,” and that they were, first and foremost, human beings.

Bishop Ntambo called on the government to listen to the grievances of the Mai Mai militia group and to restore order within the national army, which the Mai-Mai accused of abusing the local people. The government listened to Bishop Ntambo and held a peace conference. The peace conference was successful: the Mai Mai militia disbanded, and some members integrated into the national army. In addition to negotiating, Bishop Ntambo organized a network of individuals with varying faith backgrounds to promote long-term healing and reconciliation in communities affected by the conflict.

In 2005, the United Methodist church in Nigeria called upon Bishop Ntambo during a crisis. He agreed to help. During two years as interim bishop, Ntambo led Nigerian church members to elect their own permanent bishop. In 2007, Bishop Ntambo was asked to be a senator in the Congolese Parliament. As a senator, Bishop Ntambo worked to advance new development projects. Now a retired bishop, he still connects the experiences and concerns of his people to national decision-making, always seeking better lives for his people.

Share these maps
of Democratic Republic of the Congo with students.

1. How do the skills we’ve learned about in this unit, such as active listening, using “I” statements, and choosing words carefully, connect to Bishop Ntambo’s story? How could these skills be used in other places across the globe?

2. As a mediator between the government and the Mai Mai, Bishop Ntambo had to be careful about the words he chose and the way he spoke. What kind of language or messaging do you think he used to bring about peaceful negotiation? What kinds of language or messaging do you think he avoided?

3. At first, most people in Bishop Ntambo’s community thought of the Mai-Mai as “the other,” which contributed to the growing conflict. When have you found yourself “othering” certain people or groups? How can we grapple with another person or group regarding us as “the other”? How can we break down a sense of “otherness” to explore commonality and create peace?

4. How do religious or cultural identities play a role in this conflict? How do religious or cultural identities play a role in Bishop Ntambo’s peacebuilding work? 

1. Learn more about Bishop Ntambo:

• Read an article on Bishop Ntambo’s visit to America and reflections on conflict in the DRC.

• Watch a video of Bishop Ntambo and his wife speaking about peace.

• Listen to, or read, an article about the First and Second Congo Wars.

• Explore a book written about Bishop Ntambo and his peacebuilding efforts.

2. Beyond his conflict mediation skills, Bishop Ntambo sowed peace by bringing basic necessities to people destitute from the war. Plan a volunteer day for your class at a

local food shelter (or another charitable organization) and connect it back to Bishop Ntambo’s work. 

3. Bishop Ntambo is a religious leader and a political leader. Bring a religious or political

leader to guest speak for the class, or ask students to reach out individually to a religious

or political figure and interview them. Be sure that the individual is asked how they handle conflict in their role.

4. The Mai Mai was a militia group that was concerned about the behaviors of the national army. Divide the class into small groups and ask students to research and share examples of the role of militias and paramilitary groups in other armed conflicts around the world, such as in Columbia and Uganda.