WikiLinguila
WikiLinguila is a collective of committed contributors dedicated to the enhancement and promotion of Congolese Bantu languages, which are poorly digitized yet widespread in the central African region, with a particular emphasis on Kikɔ̂ngo and Lingála as models, in line with the mission of the global Wikimedia movement that promotes access to knowledge and free educational content. These two languages, spoken primarily in the Congo-Kinshasa, the Congo-Brazzaville, and Angola, have together approximately 26 million native speakers (Lingála 20 million - Kikɔ̂ngo 6 million), along with many other speakers distributed across neighboring countries, notably the Central African Republic, Gabon and South Sudan.
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| Location |  Congo-Kinshasa |
| Official language(s) | Lingala, Kongo |
| Other language(s) | Teke, Luba-Kasai, Swahili, Tetela, Luba-Katanga, Kituba, Bangi, Hunde |
| Website | wikilinguila.org |
The name “Linguila” is inspired by the word “Langila,” an argot derived from Lingála that is commonly used to refer to languages in general, thereby reinforcing the idea of a linguistic Wiki for the community of speakers and linguists in the region.
The initiative aims to encourage contributions to Wikimedia projects in the national languages of the DRC, train and support the main linguistic communities, and promote the digitization of minority languages, starting with lingála, kikɔ̂ngo, luba-kasaï, luba-Katanga, téké languages, tétéla... We plan to make gradual progress and raise awareness among young speakers about the importance of sharing and preserving their linguistic heritage.
The big difficulty at the moment or the main challenge lies in the lack of active Wikimedian contributors in this vast linguistic area who are interested in taking part in the project. Many speakers do not realize the importance of documenting and enriching their language on the Internet, and may not have the necessary skills to do so effectively. WikiLinguila, therefore, calls on anyone originating from the region to join the movement and participate in the preservation and enhancement of these languages.
WikiLinguila aims to give a central place to Congolese minority languages in the digital world. Our primary mission is to make the linguistic and cultural heritage of the peoples of the region visible and accessible through Wikimedia platforms, notably via an international editing contest held throughout the month of February, in honor of International Mother Tongue Day declared by UNESCO in 2000. We firmly believe that “Together, the world becomes small to communicate and accomplish many constructive things.”
Membership
editGroup membership is open to all interested parties.
Designated contacts
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