Angola: Information on the language of instruction in Angola at the secondary level, and particularly on whether there is any other language taught other than Portuguese
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 November 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | AGO25388.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Angola: Information on the language of instruction in Angola at the secondary level, and particularly on whether there is any other language taught other than Portuguese, 1 November 1996, AGO25388.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac8d24.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
During a 28 October 1996 telephone interview, an offcia1 at the Embassy of the Republic of Angola in Washington, DC indicated that Portuguese, the official language in Angola, is also the language of all levels of education including at secondary level.
Several reports confirm that Portuguese is the official language of Angola (Encyclopedia of the Third World 1992, 41; OSAR Feb. 1996, 8; OFPRA Oct. 1995, 11). According to Ethnologue, there are about 42 ethnic languages in Angola (1992, 155-158) but "no African language extends beyond its tribal area and few have written scripts of any kinds" (Encyclopedia of the Third World 1992, 41). Please see the OSAR attachment for a map showing the geographic location of Angola's various linguistic communities.
According to the Organisation Suisse d'Aide aux Réfugiés, English and French are frequently used, especially by highly educated persons and those who lived in Zaire and Congo before returning to Angola (1996 Feb., 8).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Embassy of the Republic of Angola, Washington, DC. 28 October 1996. Telephone interview with an official.
Encyclopedia of the Third World. 1992. 4th ed. Vol. l. Edited by George Kurian. New York: Facts on File.
Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 1992. 12th Ed. Edited by Barbara F. Crimes. Dallas, Texas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
Office Française de Protection des Réfugiés et Apatrides (OFPRA). October 1996. Angola. Paris: OFPRA.
Organisation Suisse d'Aide aux Réfugiés (OSAR). February 1996. Angola: Informations pour représentant(e)s d'oeuvres d'entraide. Lausanne: OSSAR.
Attachments
Encyclopedia of the Third World. 1992. 4th ed. Vol. l. Edited by George Kurian. New York: Facts on File, p.41.
Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 1992. 12th Ed. Edited by Barbara F. Crimes. Dallas, Texas: Summer Institute of Linguistics, pp. 155-15S.
Office Française de Protection des Réfugiés et Apatrides (OFPRA). October 1996. Angola. Paris: OFPRA, p. 11.
Organisation Suisse d'Aide aux Réfugiés (OSAR). February 1996. Angola: Informations pour représentant(e)s d'oeuvres d'entraide. Lausanne: OSAR, pp. 7-9.