The Luba Empire was an important kingdom established in the Central African sub-region. The history of this kingdom extends from 1585 to 1917 and it corresponds to current Democratic Republic of Congo. The empire imposed itself as a world player through its multiple exchanges with Portuguese and Arab slaves merchants.
Birth of the empire
The foundation of the kingdom of Luba is associated with the migratory movements of the Bantu peoples from the East. The founding members of this kingdom were princes from other countries.
But according to some accounts, the legitimate founder of this empire is Kongolo Mwamba. Himself from the North of the Songe country. He established the capital at Mwibele in the vicinity of Lake Boya. However, some mythological accounts contradict this version of the empire’s creation. These accounts state that the Luba have always been established in southern Congo-Kinshasa.
But the theory of the creation of the Empire by Kongolo Mwamba is more plausible. In the process of expanding the kingdom, Kongolo will be helped by his nephew Kalala Ilunga. The latter is the result of the marriage of a foreign hunter, Ilunga Mbidi, with one of Kongolo’s half-sisters. Father and son will end up teaming up against Kongolo by defeating his army and killing him.
Kalala Ilunga succeeds his late uncle and moves the capital to Munzo. Kalala’s death plunges the kingdom into incertainty. Replaced by one of his grandsons, the latter must face his five children who are fueling a rebellion. Fortunately, he succeeded in foiling their attacks and continued the extension of the kingdom through the conquests of the Songe peoples in the 18th century. It was Kumwimba Ngombe who would lead the empire to its peak at the end of the 18th century.
Heyday of the Luba Empire
In addition to the multiple conquests that helped to expand the territory and strengthen its authority, the Luba Empire also through its regional trade. Due to the empire’s subsoil richness in minerals, the kingdom was crossed by trade routes leading to the coasts of the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. The rulers of the kingdom thus transformed the local economy. The trade in salt, copper and iron contributed to the extension of the kingdom’s hegemony in Central Africa. The new system was feudal and was based on the redistribution of agricultural resources, hunting products and the exploitation of minerals between high dignitaries.
Culturally, the kingdom had a fringe of people, known as “men of memory”, considered the keepers of history. Their caste was called Mbudye. Art was encouraged and was a strong contributor to the prosperity of the kingdom. Therefore, sculptors occupied a place of choice. Many of their artistic achievements were representative of female characters, largely because of the prominent place occupied by women in the kingdom. Before the arrival of the Belgians, the kingdom practiced ancestor worship. The kingdom knew 18 kings before sinking.
Decline of the Luba Kingdom
Several fundamental elements contributed to the fall of the Luba kingdom. The most obvious are the battles of succession, the infiltration of the kingdom by Arab-Swahili and Luso-African traffickers, but above all, the arrival of Europeans, especially the Belgians.
Once the Arab-Swahili slavers interrupted commercial partnerships with the Luba empire, they decided to go themselves inside African forests in search of slaves. This act reduced the influence of the kingdom and also its economic significance. Added to that, the Belgians started a series of raids in the kingdom to acquire slaves too.
In 1889, the empire split into two factions following a succession struggle. Finally the Belgians had the upper hand and integrated the remaining of the empire into the Congolese state under Belgian domination. This is end of the Luba Empire.
