Christianity in Angola

Christianity in Angola has existed since 1491. Today over 75% of Angolans practise some form of Christianity.

Christianity in Angola began in 1491, with a Catholic mission in the São Salvador area. João I, Manikongo of the powerful Kongo Kingdom, converted to Christianity, and his son, Afonso I, also a Christian, became a well-known figure, reigning from 1509 to 1543.

In 1878, the first Protestant missionaries, British Baptists, arrived in Angola. In 1897, the Angola Evangelical Mission was established in Cabinda, and the North Angola Mission started in 1925, in Uige.

In contemporary Angola, the Bakongo are one of the most heavily Christian groups, with only 1.5% holding indigenous beliefs. Groups that are not Christian include the Mumuila, Mbwela (Nganguela), Mungambwe, Kwangali, Himba and Nyaneka.

According to the CIA World Factbook, Roman Catholicism is practiced by 50% of the population. 25% are Protestants, while 25% practice indigenous beliefs.

Religious affiliation in Angola was difficult to define because many who claimed membership in a specific Christian denomination also shared perceptions of the natural and supernatural order characteristic of indigenous religious systems. Sometimes the Christian sphere of the life of a community was institutionally separate from the indigenous sphere. In other cases, the local meaning and practice of Christianity were modified by indigenous patterns of belief and practice.

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