We are in Africa, and more precisely in Gabon, where we meet with the Benga-speaking community settled in Cap Esterias, a little piece of paradise on the seaside, an hour drive from the capital Libreville.

This time, we are giving the floor to the village kids so they can introduce themselves, talk about their lives, their inspirations. A great opportunity to hear the language clearly uttered, with a lot of strength and willpower. By children, each one cuter than the other…

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Linguist : Patrick Mouguiama-Daouda

Image and sound : Muriel Lutz

Editing : Caroline Laurent

As a reminder: Benga is spoken on the Gabonese coastal zone (Cap Esterias and Cap Santa Clara), north of Libreville. Benga people also live in Equatorial Guinea, especially on Corisco island. Fishing is their main traditional activity.

Benga is a Bantu language from the Niger-Congo family. The extensive linguistic classification of the language remains complicated: there are similarities with languages spoken further north, but also with languages spoken in the east (languages of the Kota-kele group).

Today, less than 1,000 people are capable of using the language and this figure is constantly decreasing, partly because the community is progressively merging with the Myéné community nearby.