Where the Congo River meets the Atlantic is a crossroads. This was part of the Kingdom of Kongo, but also the point of entry for the European slave trade and colonization. It was a crossroads where European and African cultures and religions met.
The cross became a shared symbol when the King of Kongo was baptised in 1491. This enabled Europeans and Africans to understand and familiarize themselves with one another’s religions. Indigenous religion and Catholic Christianity intersected and were woven together.
During a wave of Protestant missionary activity around 1900, many converted to Christianity. Yet many Congolese traditions survived, inspiring new religious forms that still live on today.