Photo of participants during the collective celebration of marriages in Lubumbashi, DRC
Participants during the collective celebration of marriages in Lubumbashi, DRC on March 1, 2025.© 2025 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.On March 1, 2025, a large collective marriage celebration was held in the Maadini room of the Hypnose Hotel in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The ceremony brought together couples from various religious denominations, with a total of 81 couples having their unions formally recognized by the civil registrar. This event was made possible with the support of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Since 2021, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has witnessed challenges that prevent thousands of couples in the Democratic Republic of Congo from accessing marriage. In response, the Church has launched a Marriage Project in collaboration with the CNRP (le conseil Nationale des religions pour la paix), a national council of regions promoting peace, and the Congolese government, specifically through its Ministry of Gender, Family, and Child. The goal of this project is to promote awareness of the family code, highlight the importance of legalizing marriage, advocate for the regulation of dowry, and work towards easing the legal requirements for marriage access. Public authorities and religious leaders involved in this initiative have contributed to raising awareness about the significance of legal and stable marriages.
Brother Patrice Ilunga Kabemba, the President of the Kisanga stake, represented the Church during the assembly and emphasized the importance of family and marriage between a man and a woman within the community. He stated, "The family is ordained of God. It is essential that we, as the Church, the government, and parliament, work together to promote better access to marriage in order to establish unity and stability within families."
Mr. Roger Sesani, a government expert on the Marriage Project, provided an overview of the ongoing efforts to reform marriage laws and reduce financial barriers for couples. He stated, “The family is an institution enclosed in the Constitution of the DRC. Marriage is the foundation of family life; it is what creates the family."
However, only registered marriages at the civil registry office, following a traditional celebration within the family, are recognized by the law. He also emphasized the importance of promoting family unity and stability by creating legal frameworks, establishing more civil registry offices, popularizing the family code, standardizing marriage registration fees, and regulating the symbolic nature of the dowry. He highlighted the slogan printed in Lingala on the Marriage Project T-shirts: “Ko balisa ezali mombongo te,” which translates to “Marriage is not a business.”
- In-the-first-row-from-left-to-right-Madam-from-the-provincial-ministry-division-of-gender,-her-excellency-Mrs.-Valerienne-Mumba-Kiboko,-provincial-minister-of-Gender---The-civil-registrar---Madam-the-coordinator-of-civil-registry-office--Reverend-Armand-Kinyamba,-secretary-general-of-the-CNRP---Brother-Patrice-Ilunga-Kabemba,-President-of-the-Kisanga-stake-during-the-collective-celebration-of-marriages-in-Lubumbashi,-DRC
- Brother-Patrice-Ilunga-Kabemba,-President-of-the-Kisanga-stake,-who-spoke-on-behalf-of-the-Church,-addresses-the-assembly-during-the-collective-celebration-of-marriages-in-Lubumbashi,-DRC
- Her-excellency-Mrs.-Valerienne-Mumba-Kiboko,-provincial-minister-of-Gender,-Family-and-Children-addressing-her-speech-during-the-collective-celebration-of-marriages-in-Lubumbashi,-DRC
- The-civil-registrar-officer-hands-over-the-Marriage-Certificate-to-a-legally-married-couple-during-the-collective-celebration-of-marriages-in-Lubumbashi,-DRC
- Brother-Patrice-Ilunga-Kabemba,-President-of-the-Kisanga-stake-hands-over-the-Marriage-Certificate-to-the-legally-married-couple-during-the-collective-celebration-of-marriages-in-Lubumbashi,-DRC
- The-symbolic-handing-over-of-the-family-code-to-a-legally-married-couple-during-the-collective-celebration-of-marriages-in-Lubumbashi,-DRC
- Photo-of-the-presentation-of-the-T-shirt-bearing-the-slogan-of-the-Marriage-Project-during-the-collective-celebration-of-marriages-in-Lubumbashi,-DRC.
- Photo-of-the-couple,-Muteba-Jean-Pierre,-during-the-collective-celebration-of-marriages-in-Lubumbashi,-DRC
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Reverend Armand Kinyamba, Secretary General of the CNRP, expressed his gratitude to the Church for supporting this initiative. He emphasized the shared values among various religious denominations regarding marriage and the symbolic significance of the dowry. Additionally, he underscored the important role that religious institutions play in supporting and strengthening marriages and families.
He stated, "Leaders of religious denominations possess moral authority. They can influence thoughts and dialogue, establish priorities for their communities, and engage in advocacy and awareness-raising for social and legal changes within society. This is why they are called upon to educate and mobilize families to legalize their traditional marriages. This embodies the purpose of our ceremony today."
Her Excellency Mrs. Valérienne Mumba Kiboko, Provincial Minister of Gender, Family, and Children, concluded her series of speeches by expressing gratitude to the Church and its partners for selecting Haut Katanga Province to host this significant event. She stated, "If there is one institution that remains steadfast, it is the family. The family continues in the form passed down to us by our ancestors, based on the marriage between a man and a woman who are at least 18 years old, and it is the fundamental unit of social life."
She emphasized, "The DRC cannot be imagined without the family; unfortunately, it does not always have the best conditions for its stability and unity. This is why I have committed to advocating for the Churches by addressing the need to regulate dowry and administrative costs associated with civil marriage in our Ministry's action plan. I am counting on the increase of this type of activity to promote the culture of registering marriages in the civil registry."
The event concluded with a solemn ceremony in which the civil registrar celebrated the marriages of the present couples, followed by a festive meal. This activity coincided with the beginning of the month dedicated to women's rights.
