Culture of the Republic of the Congo

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The culture of the Republic of the Congo is rich, diverse and made up of a mix of about 4.5 million people in 2015 and just as many languages and customs.

Contents

Half of Congolese people follow traditional beliefs, and there are 15 principle Bantu groups and more than 70 subgroups. The other half are 35% Roman Catholic, 15% other Christian and 2% Muslim. The region was dominated by Bantu-speaking tribes, who built trade links leading into the Congo River basin. Congo-Brazzaville was formerly part of the French colony of Equatorial Africa.

Language and writings

The official language of the Republic of Congo is French. French is spoken by 56% of the Congolese population (78% of the population over 10 years), the second highest percentage of Africa in 2010, behind that of Gabon2. About 88% of Brazzavillans over 15 years of age say they have an easy expression in French. The Republic of Congo has a number of well-known writers in Africa and the French-speaking world: Alain Mabanckou, Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard, Jeannette Balou Tchichelle, Henri Lopes, Lassy Mbouity and Tchicaya U Tam'si.

Several artistic genres such as Congolese cinema struggle to make their breakthrough. After a promising start in the 1970s, the turbulent political environment and the closing of cinemas made production difficult. The country produces no feature films a year and filmmakers broadcast their production directly in video. In the end, in Congo-Brazzaville, culture remained until then the poor relation of the investments of successive governments.

Geography

Congo is located in the central-western part of sub-Saharan Africa, along the Equator. To the south and east of it is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is bounded by Gabon to the west, Cameroon and the Central African Republic to the north, and Cabinda (Angola) to the southwest. It has a coast on the Atlantic Ocean.

Education

In the Republic of Congo, public spending on education was lower in 2002-05 than in 1991[1] public education is theoretically free and mandatory for children under 16, but in practice, parents must face a series of expenses. The net first degree enrollment rate was 44% in 2005, much less than 79% in 1991. The country has universities. Education between the ages of six and sixteen is mandatory. Students who complete six years of primary school and seven years of high school obtain a bachelor's degree. At the university, students can obtain a degree in three years.

Health Status

Medical facilities are severely limited, medical materials are in short supply. Supply of prescription or over-the-counter drugs in local stores or pharmacies is also generally not available. Payment for any medical services is expected in cash in the Congo, in advance of treatment.[ citation needed ]

Food

Congolese cuisine is a blend of French, Asian and Arabic influences into more starchy, traditional African fare.[ citation needed ]

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Antoine Ndinga Oba was a Congolese diplomat, political figure, and linguist. During the single-party rule of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), he served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of National Education from 1977 to 1984 and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1984 to 1991. Later, he was Congo-Brazzaville's Ambassador to UNESCO from 1998 until his death in 2005.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of the Republic of the Congo</span> Languages of the country and its peoples

The official language of the Republic of Congo is French. Other languages are mainly Bantu languages, and the two national languages in the country are Kituba and Lingala, followed by Kongo languages, Téké languages, and more than forty other languages, including languages spoken by Pygmies, which are not Bantu languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vili people</span> Ethnic group in Gabon, Republic of the Congo, and Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Congolese Australians are a people who were either born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or the Republic of the Congo, or are of Congolese heritage, who have since settled in Australia. The Congolese Australian population has seen a marked increase since the end of the 20th century, growing from 21 individuals in 1996, to 5,522 by the 2016 Census. The influx of Congolese immigrants in the 1990s were initially the result of the First Congo War, a civil war in the country of Zaire, as well as the effects of the Rwandan genocide on the eastern border of the country, which created rebel militia groups, completely destabilizing state authority at the time. According to the 2016 Census, approximately 80% (3,228) of all Congolese-born Australians arrived in Australia between 2006 and 2016, this sudden increase in Congolese immigration was the result of a conflict between the Democratic Republic of the Congo's conflict against the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, an ongoing conflict beginning in 2004. The Congolese Australian population have settled evenly across the country's states and territories, with the largest populations being located in Queensland, Western Australia, and Victoria. Like most African Australians, it is not uncommon for Congolese Australians to experience racism, and research on their experience has been ongoing following their arrival in the early 2000s.

References

https://www.britannica.com/place/Republic-of-the-Congo

https://www.bbc.com/news

https://curlie.org/Regional/Africa/Congo

https://www.worldtravelguide.net

https://www.worldbank.org