Portuguese is the official language in six African states: Angola , Mozambique , Guinea-Bissau , Cape Verde , Sao Tome and Principe and Equatorial Guinea . There are many Portuguese-speaking communities in South Africa , consisting of refugees from Angola and Mozambique , who left their countries during the civil wars. According to unofficial data, about 14 million people use Portuguese as the only native language in different countries in Africa [1] , and the number of those who use it as a second language can be much higher. Some statistics claim that more than 30 million people speak Portuguese on the continent. Like French and English , Portuguese has become a postcolonial language in Africa and one of the working languages of the African Union and the Southern African Development Community . In Africa, Portuguese is under pressure from French and English.
Distribution
All Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa are part of the PALOPES (Países Africanos de Língua Oficial Portuguesa), which consists of Angola , Cape Verde , Guinea-Bissau , Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe . With the exception of Angola and Sao Tome and Principe, where the language is most common, Portuguese is mostly spoken only in cities.
Approximately 300,000 Portuguese-speaking people live in South Africa . They are settlers from Madeira , as well as white Angolans and Mozambicans who migrated after the independence of these countries in 1975. The civil wars in Angola and Mozambique also led to the migration of refugees (including Portuguese-speaking) to neighboring countries: the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Namibia , Zambia and South Africa . The return of Afro-Brazilian former slaves to Nigeria , Benin , Togo , Angola and Mozambique contributed to the increase of the Portuguese-speaking population on the continent. In addition, a significant role in the increase of the Portuguese-speaking population was played by the return of white Portuguese and their descendants from Brazil , Portugal and South Africa to the former Portuguese colonies: to Angola to 500,000 people and to Mozambique to 350,000.
In Senegal , in Dakar , live Portuguese-speaking cabo Verde. Also in the southern part of the Casamans region , which was once part of the Portuguese empire , there are native speakers of the Guinean Creole language , which is similar to the Portuguese. Portuguese is taught as a foreign language throughout the country [2] . In 2008, Senegal became an observer in the CPLS .
Equatorial Guinea - a former Portuguese colony, is a member of the CPLP . Here it is official, although it is practically not used.
Mauritius has strong cultural ties with Mozambique. The Portuguese were the first Europeans who settled on the island. In 2006, Mauritius joined the CPLS as an associate member.
As a member of SADC , Zambia introduced Portuguese language lessons at school because of the large Angolan population there [3] .
Notes
- ↑ The Future of Portuguese . BB Portuguese. The appeal date is April 11, 2012.
- ↑ Over 17,000 Senegalese learning Portuguese
- ↑ Zambia to introduce Portuguese into school curriculum Archived December 8, 2012.