Coming soon
Help shape SoniLingo
Your language. Your connection.
Something meaningful is taking shape. We’re developing online Soninke courses for adults and children, and we’re currently exploring interest, learning needs and preferred course formats. Share your thoughts to help shape what comes next.
In development — course enrolment is not open yet.
More than words.
A connection that stays with you.
A language worth passing on
Soninke heritage is rich with history, stories and knowledge passed from one generation to the next. Knowing our roots means understanding not only the words we speak, but the history and people behind them.
SoniLingo is being created to make that connection more accessible — bringing language learning together with Soninke history and cultural heritage, for adults reconnecting with their roots and families sharing them with the next generation.
Find your starting point
Whether you are starting from the beginning, understand more than you speak, already speak Soninke but want to learn to read and write, or want to pass the language on to your children, SoniLingo is being developed with different learners in mind.
Your interest helps shape our first courses.
Planned learning pathA practical introduction for adults who are new to Soninke or know only a few words and phrases. Build useful vocabulary, improve pronunciation and begin forming everyday sentences with confidence.
Help us decideFor people who already understand or speak Soninke and want to strengthen their vocabulary, communicate with greater confidence, or learn to read and write the language — including fluent speakers who have never learned to write it.
Help us decide
Planned learning pathRecorded learning experiences being explored to help children build Soninke vocabulary, confidence and a connection to their language and heritage. Parents can support their child’s learning along the way.
Help us decideWhich learning path comes first will be shaped by the needs and interests of the SoniLingo community. Complete the short survey to help us decide what to develop first.
Take the short surveyA new chapter is coming
We’re preparing recorded Soninke courses for adults and children, including new learners and people building on what they already know. Join the waitlist to hear by email when enrolment opens.
For adults. For families. For the next generation.
Small steps. Meaningful progress.
Here are the elements we are exploring for recorded learning.
Clear, focused lessons that are easy to follow.
Listen, repeat and build confidence using Soninke in everyday situations.
Strengthen vocabulary, understanding and sentence building.
Follow the lessons in a structured order while learning at a pace that works for you.
The final format will be shaped together with our future learners.
Your voice, our next chapter
We’re currently researching interest in SoniLingo and learning what future students need. Your feedback will help us decide which learning paths to develop first and how the courses should work. The survey takes approximately 3–4 minutes.
Takes about 3–4 minutes. A contact email is required.
Meet the founder
SoniLingo was founded by Binta Lola Camara, a Swedish-Gambian project leader and communications professional with experience in course development, education, events and digital content. With deep roots in Soninke culture, she created SoniLingo to make the language easier to learn, practise and pass on to future generations.
Growing up with both Swedish and Gambian heritage, Binta understands that belonging can hold more than one culture — and that language can play an important part in strengthening identity and connection. SoniLingo brings her professional experience together with a deeply personal commitment: to create a modern, welcoming and accessible space where people in the diaspora can explore Soninke language, culture and heritage without having to choose between the different parts of who they are.
Connect with Binta
You can email SoniLingo at the address below or connect with Binta through her social profiles.
Care in every learning path
As SoniLingo develops, we are planning teaching roles for different learning needs. These are future roles — courses are not available yet, and which learning path comes first remains open.
Founder & planned course leader
Beginners & children’s courses
Binta will lead SoniLingo’s planned beginner and children’s courses. She brings professional experience in education, course development and communication, alongside experience working with children. Her focus is on making early learning clear, welcoming and engaging.
Course leaders to be confirmed
Advanced learning
For more advanced courses, including reading and writing, we plan to work with experienced Soninke speakers who have a strong command of the language, can read and write it accurately, and can explain it clearly in English or French.
Interested in contributing?Carry the language forward
We would love to hear from people who could contribute to future SoniLingo courses, especially advanced learning, reading and writing. Help make Soninke learning clear, welcoming and rooted in the language’s richness.
Teaching or education experience is welcome. A formal teaching degree is not required. Future roles and arrangements have not been confirmed.
Form preview only — applications are not open yet.
Speak Soninke fluently and confidently.
Read and write Soninke accurately, including spelling.
Communicate clearly in English or French (at least one).
Be able to explain language concepts clearly and patiently.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview. As part of the process, we will discuss teaching experience and review spoken and written Soninke skills, as well as the language used for explanations.
Shop · in development
More ways to learn. More ways to connect.
We’re exploring Soninke workbooks, downloadable PDFs, children’s activities and physical books to support learning at different stages. Our collection is still taking shape.
PDF exercises and printable activities.
Planned — not available yet
Future reading and activity resources.
Planned — not available yet
Printed learning materials and selected partner publications being explored.
Planned — not available yet
We’d love to hear from authors, publishers and creators of Soninke books and learning materials. Email us to explore a possible collaboration with SoniLingo.
Or write to hello@sonilingo.com
Discover Soninke
Soninke is both the name of a West African people and the language their communities speak. It belongs to the Mande language family and is spoken in Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and The Gambia — and by diaspora communities around the world.
Soninke connects communities in several West African countries and families who have settled far beyond them. Ways of speaking vary from place to place, and that variety is part of the language’s richness.
Soninke history is closely associated with Wagadou, often known as the Ghana Empire — a historic West African empire, distinct from the modern country of Ghana.
For SoniLingo, Soninke is a language of today: of family conversations, stories and identity. We want to help learners speak it, read and write it, and carry it forward in their own way.
For every generation, and every part of your identity. Mixed-heritage families belong here, too.
Further reading: INALCO (in French) · CNRS (in French)
A little more clarity
We’re at the beginning of this journey. Here’s what we know so far.
We are exploring package prices for families, siblings and children. The options and any discounts will be confirmed before enrolment opens.
We plan to offer PayPal for the first course release. Card payments and invoice payment are planned for a later stage. The available methods and full payment details will be confirmed before enrolment opens.
SoniLingo is being developed for different starting points: complete beginners, people who understand more than they speak, existing speakers who want more confidence or want to learn to read and write, and parents who want their children to learn Soninke.
No. Complete beginners are very welcome, and so are people who already understand or speak Soninke — including fluent speakers who would like to learn to read and write it.
SoniLingo is being designed as recorded online learning that can be accessed internationally. Access details will be shared once the format is confirmed.
English will be the primary teaching language. A French version is also being explored, and learner feedback will help shape what comes next. This website is also available in Arabic, but courses taught in Arabic are not planned.
The H variety will be the main reference. Relevant differences in other Soninke varieties may also be explained, with respect for the richness and diversity of the language.
The launch date, price and which learning path will be developed first have not been decided yet. Survey answers from the community will help shape these decisions, and updates will be shared when they are ready.
Soninke is spoken in Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and The Gambia, and by diaspora communities around the world. You can read more in the Discover Soninke section above.
Recorded learning for children is being explored, focused on building vocabulary, confidence and a connection to the language. Parents can support their child’s learning along the way. Age groups and format have not been decided yet.
Courses are not open yet. Join to hear by email when enrolment opens.