Angola

Source: CIA World Factbook

Source: Wikipedia Commons

Introduction

The Republic of Angola is located in south-central Africa, and is bordered by Namibia to the south, Democratic Republic of Congo to the north, Zambia to the east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Total area is 1,246,700 km² (481,354 sq. mi.) and the estimated population in 2009 was 18,498,000. Angola was a Portuguese colony from the 16^th century until 1975. After independence, the country suffered from a civil war until 2002. The population is composed of Ovimbundu (37%), Ambundu (25%), Bakongo (13%), mestiços (mixed European and African) (2%), European (1%), and other ethnic groups (22%). It is estimated that over half of the population is Roman Catholic and a quarter are Protestant.

Mennonite Activity in Angola

Angola had three Mennonite denominations in the 1980s: Igreja Comunidade Menonitas em Angola (ICMA = Mennonite Community of Churches in Angola), Igreja Evangélica Menonitas em Angola (ITEMA = Mennonite Evangelical Church in Angola), and Igreja Evangélica Irmãos Mennonitas em Angola (IEIMA = Evangelical Church of Mennonite Brethren in Angola). All of these churches resulted from the interaction of Angolan refugees in Congo with Mennonite ministries in that country. 

Upon their return to Angola, many Mennonites were persecuted by the Angolan government due to the similarity in the sound of "Mennonita" and UNITA, a rebel movement in the country. The persecution included the destruction of churches and the dispersal of many church members into the forest. After a meeting with government and church officials, the misunderstanding was cleared up.

The Igreja Evangélica Irmãos Mennonitas em Angola (IEIMA), the Mennonite Brethren church in Angola, was founded in 1983. A split in 1986 over sharing power and the lack of opportunities for leadership training in IEIMA led to the formation of Igreja Evangélica Menonitas em Angola (IEMA).

Igreja da Comunidade Menonita em Angola (ICMA) began in 1990 with a church plant in Luanda. In 2003, MCC helped the three groups form the Conferencia Inter-Menonita em Angola (Inter-Mennonite Conference in Angola).

2020 Update

Between 1990 and 2020 the following Anabaptist groups were active in Angola:

Denominations	Churches in 1990	Membership in 1990	Churches in 2000	Membership in 2000	Churches in 2009	Membership in 2009	Churches in 2020	Membership in 2020
Igreja da Comunidade Menonita em Angola			7	1,800	39	2,145	75	12,700
Igreja Evangélica Anabaptista em Angola Simione Mucune							100	1,547
Igreja Evangélica Irmãos Mennonitas em Angola	13	1,250	20	2,752	49	4,559	107	14,500
Igreja Evangélica Menonitas em Angola				13,146	21	4,216	19	4,748
Igreja Menonitas em Angola							12	1,277
Total	13	1,250	27	17,698	109	10,920	313	34,772

Bibliography

"Anglola" Mennonite World Conference. Web. 28 April 2020. https://mwc-cmm.org/mwc_map/country/1006.

"Angola." Wikipedia. Web. 28 February 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angola.

"Angola MB Church Growing Despite Country’s Struggles." Mennonite Brethren Herald (23 June 2000). Web. 28 February 2011. http://old.mbherald.com/39-13/news-9.html.

Lichdi, Diether Götz, ed. Mennonite World Handbook 1990: Mennonites in Global Witness. Carol Stream, IL: Mennonite World Conference, 1990.

Mennonite World Conference. "2000 Africa Mennonite & Brethren in Christ Churches." Web. 28 February 2011. http://www.mwc-cmm.org/Directory/2000africa.html. [Broken Link].

Mennonite World Conference. "2003 Africa Mennonite & Brethren in Christ Churches." Web. 28 February 2011. http://www.mwc-cmm.org/Directory/2003africa.html. [Broken Link].

Mennonite World Conference. "Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Churches Worldwide, 2006: Africa." Web. 28 February 2011. http://www.mwc-cmm.org/Directory/2006africa.pdf. [Broken Link].

Mennonite World Conference. "Mennonite and Brethren in Christ Churches Worldwide, 2009: Africa." Web. 28 February 2011. http://www.mwc-cmm.org/en15/files/Members%202009/Africa%20Summary.doc. [Broken Link].

Mennonite World Conference. "World Directory 2012: Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Related Churches." Web. 8 March 2014. http://www.mwc-cmm.org/sites/default/files/website_files/mwc_world_directory_w_links.pdf. [Broken Link].

Pedro, Lutiniko Landu Miguel. "The Mennonite Brethren Church in Angola." In The Mennonite Brethren Church Around the World: Celebrating 150 Years," edited by Abe J. Dueck. Kitchener, ON: Pandora Press; Winnipeg, MB: Kindred Productions, 2010: 173-182.

Pedro, Lutiniko Landu Miguel. "Mennonites and Peace-Building in Angola." In Freedom’s Distant Shores: American Protestants and Post-Colonial Alliances with Africa, edited by R. Drew Smith. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2006.

Author(s)	Richard D Thiessen
Date Published	April 2020

Cite This Article

MLA style

Thiessen, Richard D. "Angola." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. April 2020. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Angola&oldid=167954.

APA style

Thiessen, Richard D. (April 2020). Angola. Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Angola&oldid=167954.

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