Kole, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Kole is a rather remote town in central Democratic Republic of the Congo on the Lukenie River. It is the administrative center of the Kole Territory, which in turn is part of Sankuru Province. Kole is sometimes designated "Kole Sur Lukenie" to distinguish it from other "Koles" in the DRC.

According to local Ministry of Health officials, the population of the town in 2007 was about 10,060 persons (the total for the territory is said to be 71,040). The settlement consists of a few score stuccoed brick buildings, many of them left over from the now defunct cotton plantations of the area. The majority of residents, however, live in very simple wattle and daub houses of their own construction.

The people of Kole, and for tens of kilometers around the town, belong to a subtribe of the Nkutu (or Okutshu) known as the Elembe (also called Ohindu or Ohendo). They speak a dialect (Kihindo) which is mutually intelligble with other Nkutu tongues, as well as with that of their other near neighbors (and relatives), the Tetela. The Elembe are traditionally settled farmers in contrast to other Nkutu groups which are traditional hunting communities. All of these peoples (the Elembe, other Nkutu and the Tetela) are members of the Bantu Mongo "super-tribe". (Additional, smaller Nkutu subtribes/dialects in the area include the Ngongo, the Hamba and the Saka.) Most (perhaps 80 to 90%) tribespeople around Kole also speak Lingala, a few speak French, and a very few speak English.

Kole is home to a market and Kole Sur Lukenie Airport.

The Lukenie River is navigable by river barges up to the Kole Landing, but generally no further. A barge from Kinshasa may land at Kole once or twice a year, after a 6- to 12-week journey up the Congo, Kwah (Kasai), Fimi, and Lukenie Rivers. This is not done during the low water season (June–August), however, for fear of stranding for long periods.

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