Mbote(hotep)!

The Lingala can be traced back with the Ngala people (or the Bangala) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (former Zaire). There are many speculations about the establishment of Lingala as the official language; but most people in the DRC are convinced it was developed as a trade language, so that different ethnic groups could communicate. It’s also the language spoken in the military.

The DRC has 250 ethnic groups with about 250 languages spoken throughout the country. Each ethnic group has its own distinct language and culture; they live in isolated community groups. Lingala is mainly spoken in the west and in Kinshasa the capital of the DRC. When Mobutu Sese Seko took power in 1965 he desperately tried and effectively established one language, which would improve communication with the majority of Bantu descents of the DRC. Others ethnies of Nilo-Saharan origins mostly speak Kiswahili. The Kikongo is another of the national languages of the DRC besides Lingala, Kiswahili, Tshiluba, and French. But Lingala has always been the language of Soukous..

I love what you have said about Congolese Soukous. Indeed, it’s a beautiful thing! I know Soukous artists can help many times on TV advertising Lingala as a means of communication between the native Kongolese and the African peoples on the continent and the Diaspora. I would choose Lingala, especially me being a Lingala-speaking person! But our people have millions of different languages and cultures. There's so much to choose from and I don’t think it's fun trying to decide for African Diasporians.

Brother Eja, Thank you.
You always write great posts.

B.K