Mbote!
say it: “m-BOH-teh”
Lingala
in its own words: Lingála
- Speakers
- 40 million (estimate)
- Family
- Niger-Congo – Bantu
- Vitality
- Safe
- Where it is spoken
- Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo
- Script
- Latin
- Official language
- Democratic Republic of the Congo (regional)
Fun fact
Lingala arose on the middle Congo River as a trade language and spread through the army and popular music. Congolese rumba, sung mostly in Lingala, joined the UNESCO list in 2021.