Middle Africa
Video Chat with People from the Republic of the Congo
Brazzaville and Kinshasa face each other across the Congo River, close enough to see one city's skyline from the other, which is why many people call this country Congo-Brazzaville. Besides the capital, the person you meet might be in Pointe-Noire, the port city on the Atlantic with its long beaches; in Dolisie or Nkayi in the south; or in Ouesso and Owando in the forested north. Officially the country is French-speaking, and French is heard everywhere, while Lingala, common in Brazzaville and the north, and Kituba, spoken in the south and in Pointe-Noire, are the everyday languages. English isn't widespread.
The country is on West Africa Time, UTC+1, so evenings there begin around lunchtime on the US East Coast and in the late afternoon or early evening in London. Music is the obvious opener, since Congolese rumba is a shared heritage of both Congos and Brazzaville hosts the FESPAM pan-African music festival. Fashion is another, thanks to the sapeurs and their sharp, colorful suits. Food talk might cover saka-saka cassava leaves, chikwangue, fish steamed in leaves, plantains or a trip to see gorillas in Odzala-Kokoua National Park.
The Republic of the Congo at a glance
| Flag | 🇨🇬 |
|---|---|
| Official name | Republic of the Congo |
| Capital | Brazzaville |
| Region | Africa · Middle Africa |
| Official languages | French, Kikongo and Lingala |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (Fr, XAF) |
| Calling code | +242 |
| Time zone | West Africa Time (Africa/Brazzaville) |
How to say hello
A few words of French make a great first impression, even if you switch to English right after.
| Language | Phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lingala | Mbote! | m-BOH-teh | Hello! |
| Lingala | Sango nini? | SAHN-goh NEE-nee | What's new? |
| Lingala | Ozali malamu? | oh-ZAH-lee mah-LAH-moo | Are you well? |
| French | Bonsoir, tu vas bien? | bohn-SWAHR, too vah BYEN | Good evening, are you doing well? |
Tips for chatting with people from the Republic of the Congo
- Saying "Congo-Brazza" or "Brazza" shows you know which Congo you mean and avoids mixing it up with DR Congo across the river.
- Get them to name a rumba classic and a current artist; most people have both ready.
- If you're into fashion, ask about La Sape; people enjoy explaining the style and its rules.
- French is the safest shared language, and our French phrase guide is a quick way to get a few lines ready.
Only meet people from the Republic of the Congo
Omlet matches you Worldwide by default. To meet only people from the Republic of the Congo, use the country filter, the only filter Omlet has:
- Open Omlet and press Country on the control panel.
- Search for Republic of the Congo and select it.
- Press Start. Press Next to meet someone else from the Republic of the Congo, or switch back to Worldwide any time.
Your first day is free: you add a card through Stripe to start it, and nothing is charged that day. When the 24 hours end, the country filter costs $3 one time, charged to that card, unless you cancel before then in Settings (if you cancel, you can still pick a country until the day ends). It's not a subscription, and it stays unlocked on that device and browser. It doesn't carry over to other devices or browsers, and clearing your browser data removes it. There's one free day per device, home network and card. Payment goes through Stripe, so Omlet never sees your card number.
The filter works both ways, and matching can be slower when fewer people from the Republic of the Congo are online. Chatting itself is free, and Worldwide matching never costs anything.
Your own country is detected automatically and shown to the people you meet as a flag.
Neighboring countries
The Republic of the Congo borders 5 countries. Curious about the people next door? Meet them too: