The Academy

About us

Dr. Adrien Ngudiankama is the founder and director of Kongo Academy. It was founded on October 7, 2020.

The mission of the organization is to promote Kongo studies through research, webinars, conferences, symposia, publications, and joint projects with fellow scholars and academic institutions. The idea for Kongo Academy was partly sparked by conversations he had with Wyatt MacGaffey and John Janzen.

Kongo Academy has been organizing monthly webinars and quarterly symposiums since its inception. As a global reference in Kongo studies, the organization attracts scholars from many fields.

The vision of Kongo Academy is to:

Connect scholars engaged in Kongo studies;
Study Kongo diaspora heritage and identify historical Kongo sites;
Promote Kongo culture and history through festivals and tourism;
Establish a Kongo studies library;
Teach Kongo cultures including the Kikongo language;
Enhance opportunities for archaeological, cultural, and historical research in Kongo cultural settings, including the Diaspora.