Lingala.Pdf 3 National African Language Resource Center (NALRC)
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Table of Contents Profile ________________________________________________________________ 5 Introduction ________________________________________________________________ 5 Geography ____________________________________________________________ 6 Area _______________________________________________________________________ 6 Climate ____________________________________________________________________ 6 Geographic Divisions and Topographic Features ___________________________________ 6 Basin ___________________________________________________________________________ 6 High Plateaus _____________________________________________________________________ 7 Rivers and Lakes _____________________________________________________________ 7 Congo River ______________________________________________________________________ 7 Uele River _______________________________________________________________________ 8 Ubangi River _____________________________________________________________________ 8 Lake Mai‐Ndombe _________________________________________________________________ 8 Major Cities _________________________________________________________________ 9 Kinshasa_________________________________________________________________________ 9 Mbandaka _______________________________________________________________________ 9 Bumba _________________________________________________________________________ 10 Gbadolite _______________________________________________________________________ 10 History ____________________________________________________________________ 11 Early History ____________________________________________________________________ 11 Lingala as a Unifying Force _________________________________________________________ 11 The Kongo Kingdom and the Portuguese ______________________________________________ 12 Belgian Colonization ______________________________________________________________ 13 The Belgian Congo and Independence ________________________________________________ 14 The Mobutu Regime ______________________________________________________________ 15 Recent History ___________________________________________________________________ 16 Economy __________________________________________________________________ 17 Forestry ________________________________________________________________________ 17 Industry ________________________________________________________________________ 18 Agriculture ______________________________________________________________________ 18 Linguistic Groups ____________________________________________________________ 19 Lingala _________________________________________________________________________ 19 Other Languages of the Lingala Linguistic Region _______________________________________ 20 Self Study Questions _________________________________________________________ 21 Religion ______________________________________________________________ 22 Overview __________________________________________________________________ 22 The Kimbanguist Religion _____________________________________________________ 23 Animism and Sorcery ________________________________________________________ 23 The Role of Religion in the Government _________________________________________ 24 2 Religion in People’s Daily Lives ________________________________________________ 24 Evolution of Kimbanguist Religious Practice ______________________________________ 26 Religious Events and Holidays _________________________________________________ 26 Buildings of Worship ________________________________________________________ 27 Behavior in Places of Worship _________________________________________________ 29 Self Study Questions _________________________________________________________ 30 Traditions ____________________________________________________________ 31 Honor and Values ___________________________________________________________ 31 Politeness _________________________________________________________________ 32 Greetings and Introductions __________________________________________________ 32 Forms of Address ___________________________________________________________ 35 Eye Contact ________________________________________________________________ 35 Hospitality and Gift‐Giving ____________________________________________________ 36 Eating Customs and Habits ____________________________________________________ 38 Dress Codes ________________________________________________________________ 39 Non‐Religious Holidays _______________________________________________________ 40 Do’s and Don’ts _____________________________________________________________ 41 Self Study Questions _________________________________________________________ 42 Urban Life ____________________________________________________________ 43 Urbanization _______________________________________________________________ 43 Urban Labor Issues __________________________________________________________ 44 Unemployment and Working Conditions ______________________________________________ 45 Daily Urban Life _____________________________________________________________ 46 Health Care ________________________________________________________________ 47 Cell Phone Usage and Its Impact on Family Planning _____________________________________ 49 Education _________________________________________________________________ 50 Transportation and Traffic ____________________________________________________ 51 Restaurants and Marketplace _________________________________________________ 54 Restaurants _____________________________________________________________________ 54 Marketplace _______________________________________________________________ 57 Street Crime and Solicitation __________________________________________________ 60 Self Study Questions _________________________________________________________ 60 Rural Life _____________________________________________________________ 61 Rural Livelihood ____________________________________________________________ 61 3 Rural Land Distribution ______________________________________________________ 62 The Effects of Land Distribution in Northeastern D.R.C. __________________________________ 63 Rural Transportation ________________________________________________________ 64 Rural Health _______________________________________________________________ 65 Rural Education _____________________________________________________________ 66 History of Western Education in the D.R.C. ____________________________________________ 67 Rural Lifestyle ______________________________________________________________ 68 Political Leadership __________________________________________________________ 69 Checkpoints ________________________________________________________________ 70 Landmines _________________________________________________________________ 72 Self Study Questions _________________________________________________________ 74 Family Life ____________________________________________________________ 75 Typical Household and Family Structure _________________________________________ 75 Status of Women, Elders, and Children __________________________________________ 76 Women ________________________________________________________________________ 76 Elders __________________________________________________________________________ 78 Children ________________________________________________________________________ 79 Orphans in the D.R.C. _____________________________________________________________ 81 Marriage, Divorce, and Birth __________________________________________________ 82 Marriage _______________________________________________________________________ 82 Divorce ________________________________________________________________________ 83 Birth ___________________________________________________________________________ 84 Family Social Events _________________________________________________________ 84 Weddings ______________________________________________________________________ 84 Death Rituals ____________________________________________________________________ 86 Naming Conventions ________________________________________________________ 87 Self Study Questions _________________________________________________________ 87 Further Reading _______________________________________________________ 88 Appendix A: Answers to Self Study Questions _______________________________ 89 4 Profile Introduction The people who speak Lingala as their native language live in an area around the Congo River in west-central Africa. Their region includes parts of at least two countries, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C., also called Congo-Kinshasa) and the Republic of the Congo.1, 2 This report focuses on the cultural aspects of the people who speak Lingala in the D.R.C. As citizens of the D.R.C., they are known as Congolese, but language separates them from other Congolese peoples. Lingala evolved as a regional trade language among several tribal groups living along the Congo and Ubangi Rivers, and its speakers today reflect several subcultures rather than a dominant culture.3 Over the last five centuries, the vast region now known as the D.R.C. has experienced several dire historical episodes, beginning with an indigenous slave trade that accelerated after the introduction of European explorers. More recently, colonial occupation by Belgium, 30 years of dictatorship that bankrupted the country, and twenty years of bloody civil war have been low points. Factional fighting and violent anti-government militias continue to plague some