Habla Congo

Habla Congo or Habla Bantú is a Kongo-based liturgical language of the Palo religion with origins in Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, later spreading to other countries in the Caribbean Basin.^[1] The language may be called lengua conga or lengua congo but is generally referred to simply as lengua, meaning "language" in Spanish. It involves code-switching between Kongo-derived words and phrases; Bozal Spanish, the archaic Spanish creole of the Caribbean slave plantations, or at least an imitation of it; and colloquial Caribbean Spanish.

Habla Congo
Habla Bantu
lengua
Native to	Cuba, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico
Native speakers	None (liturgical language)
Language family	Kongo–Spanish
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	None
Guthrie code	H.10C[1]

A palero (Palo priest) would say that he habla congo (or habla conga) "speaks Kongo," habla en congo, or habla palero. It is not secret, but it is intended to be impenetrable to the uninitiated.^[2]

See also

• Lucumí, a similar liturgical language based on Yoruba