French In Angola: Is It Spoken?

Angola is a country in southwestern Africa with a rich history and diverse cultural influences. The country gained independence from Portugal in 1975, and while Portuguese is the official language, Angola is home to several indigenous languages and cultural influences from neighbouring countries. Given its location and history, one may wonder if French is also spoken in Angola, particularly in regions bordering French-speaking countries.

French in Cabinda

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Portuguese in Angola

Portuguese is the official language of Angola, a legacy of the country's time as a Portuguese colony. The variant of Portuguese spoken in Angola is called Angolan Portuguese, which is similar to Brazilian Portuguese. According to a 2014 study, around 71% of the population of Angola speak Portuguese, with 39% speaking it as their mother tongue. The use of Portuguese is more common in urban areas, where 85% of people speak it, compared to 49% in rural regions.

Portuguese Angola was a historical colony of the Portuguese Empire, lasting from the arrival of Portuguese explorer Diogo Cão in 1484 until the decolonization of the territory in 1975. The Portuguese were interested in trade, particularly the slave trade, and established small trading posts on the lower Congo. The settlement of Luanda was established on the coast south of the Kongo Kingdom in 1575, and the region developed a slave trade with the help of local Imbangala and Mbundu peoples. From 1580 to the 1820s, well over a million people from present-day Angola were exported as slaves, mainly to Brazil.

During the period of Portuguese colonial rule, cities, towns, and trading posts were founded, and railways, ports, and other infrastructure were built. However, the minority European rulers were neither willing nor interested in eradicating the deep traditional tribal heritage in Angola. From the 1920s, Portugal's administration showed an increasing interest in developing Angola's economy and social infrastructure.

In the late 1950s, the National Front for the Liberation of Angola (FNLA) and the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) began to organize strategies and action plans to fight Portuguese rule and the remunerated system, which involved the forced relocation and labour of native Africans. In 1961, organized guerrilla warfare began, and the Angolan War of Independence triggered an influx of Portuguese military personnel, civil servants, and others, increasing the number of Portuguese in Angola to about 350,000.

When Angola gained independence in 1975, most Portuguese left the country, with only 30,000 to 40,000 remaining by 1976. However, after Angola abandoned its socialist regime in 1991, many Portuguese Angolans returned, and due to Angola's economic boom, an increasing number of Portuguese migrants without previous connections to the country have been drawn there for economic reasons. As of 2008, Angola was the top destination for Portuguese migrants in Africa, and as of 2013, there were around 200,000 Portuguese nationals in the country.

Indigenous languages of Angola

Angola is a Southern African nation with a single official language—Portuguese—and several national languages. Portuguese was introduced during the colonial era and is now the most spoken language in the country. However, there are several indigenous languages that are also widely spoken in Angola.

The most popular indigenous languages in Angola are Kikongo, Umbundu, and Kimbundu. Umbundu, also called South Mbundu, is spoken by about 23% of the population, or about 5.9 million people, as their native language. It is mainly used in the center and south of the country, as well as in Luanda. Kimbundu, or Mbundu, is spoken by 7.85% of the population and is used in the Luanda Province and adjacent provinces. Kikongo, also called Kongo, is spoken by about 8.8% of the population and is used in the northwest, including the exclave of Cabinda.

Other indigenous languages spoken in Angola include Fiote, which is spoken by about 2.9% of the population, mainly in Cabinda; Chokwe, which is one of the six languages the government has said it will develop as literary languages; and Bangala ('Mbangala'), which is one of the fourteen "main" national languages that Angolan radio transmits in. The San people of Angola speak languages from two families, the !Kung and Khoe, though only a few hundred speak the latter. The Khwe language, which belongs to the Khoe language family, is spoken by the Kxoe ethnic group.

Angola's Bantu languages

Angola is a multilingual and multicultural country with 46 other languages spoken in addition to its official language, Portuguese. Most of these languages are Bantu languages. The major Bantu language of Angola is Umbundu, which is spoken by 23% of the population as a native language. Other popular native Bantu languages include Kimbundu, Kikongo, and Fiote.

Umbundu is also called South Mbundu and is spoken in the centre-west of the country, including Luanda. It is the most widely spoken Bantu language in Angola, with approximately a quarter of the population being native speakers. In the Bantu family, Umbundu speakers are known as Ovimbundu.

Kimbundu, also called Mbundu, is from the same language family as Umbundu. It is spoken by approximately 3 million people in the north-west of Angola and the Luanda Province and adjacent provinces. The speakers of Kimbundu are known as Mbundu.

Kikongo, also called Kongo, is spoken by about 8.24% of Angolans. It is spoken in the northwest, including the exclave of Cabinda, and in Angola and surrounding countries. The people in the Kingdom of Kongo, which included the Kingdom of Ndongo and the Kingdom of Matamba, spoke Kikongo as a common language.

Angola's colonial languages

Angola's official language is Portuguese, which was introduced during the colonial era. It is the mother tongue of 39% of the population and is spoken as a second language by many more. Younger generations, especially in urban areas, are increasingly adopting Portuguese as their dominant or exclusive language.

Portuguese is spoken by about 71% of Angolans, with a higher concentration in urban areas, where 85% of the population declared to speak it at home in the 2014 census, compared to 49% in rural areas. The variant of Portuguese spoken in Angola is called Angolan Portuguese, which is phonetically similar to the Mozambican variant.

In addition to Portuguese, there are 46 other languages spoken in Angola, mostly Bantu languages. Umbundu, Kimbundu, and Kikongo are the most widely spoken indigenous languages. Umbundu is the most widely spoken Bantu language, with about 23% of the population speaking it natively, mainly in the centre and south of the country. Kimbundu is spoken in Luanda Province and adjacent provinces, while Kikongo is spoken in the northwest, including the exclave of Cabinda.

In the province of Cabinda, which is bordered by two French-speaking countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo, many people speak French as well as or better than Portuguese. 90% of the literate population in Cabinda speak French, while only 10% speak Portuguese.

The Angolan government has recognised all native languages as national languages. Angolan radio transmits in 14 of these national languages, and some are used in schools, although there is a shortage of teachers.

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