Abafuliiru

Abafuliiru (also Bafuliiru) are the people of Ibufuliiru — native speakers of Kifuliiru, united by shared heritage, language, memory, and responsibility for what was inherited.

Whether in the homeland, in other parts of DRC, or in diaspora, Abafuliiru remain connected through family, story, song, proverbs, and the will to keep the language alive.

To be Abafuliiru is to speak, or to learn, Kifuliiru — not as a museum piece, but as a living way of naming the world, greeting elders, telling stories, and passing wisdom to the next generation.

Music, ceremony, medicine, farming, and oral history all belong to this identity. They are learned in community, not from a checklist of labels.

The primary community is in South Kivu, especially Uvira territory. Bafuliiru also live across DRC and worldwide — maintaining ties through family networks, media, books, radio, and projects like this one.

Preserving Kifuliiru is work shared by speakers, learners, and contributors. Everyone who respects the culture can take part.