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Ilunga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ilunga is a relatively common personal name in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The name ILUNGA derives from the verb "kulunga", which means to unite, unify, gather or put together. ILUNGA is the name that the BALUBA give to those they consider to be unifying or bringing people together. "Kulunga" opposes the verb "kusansanya", which means to separate or to divide.

In June 2004, "ilunga" was reported as being a Bantu word meaning "a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time", and – in the opinion of 1,000 linguists surveyed on the subject – the world's most difficult word to translate.[1]

Ilunga as a family name

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Ilunga is a family name placed before the given name. There are many famous African and African-descended people named Ilunga. For example:

Tshiluba is a language spoken in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

See also

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References

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  • MacIntyre, Ben. Why do Koreans say "a biscuit would be nice" instead of "I want a biscuit"?, The Times, August 21, 2004.