What is the call a parent language of some African languages?

There isn't one single "parent language" for all African languages. Africa has a vast linguistic diversity, with hundreds of languages spoken across the continent. These languages belong to different language families, each with its own history and development.

Here are some of the major language families in Africa:

* Afro-Asiatic: This is the largest language family in Africa, covering regions like North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of the Sahel. It includes languages like Arabic, Berber, Egyptian, Hausa, and Somali.

* Niger-Congo: This is the second largest language family in Africa, covering much of sub-Saharan Africa. It includes languages like Swahili, Yoruba, Igbo, and Zulu.

* Nilo-Saharan: This family covers parts of East and Central Africa, including languages like Dinka, Nuer, and Maasai.

* Khoisan: This family is concentrated in southern Africa and is known for its unique click consonants. Languages like Nama and !Xóõ are part of this family.

* Austronesian: This family is found in Madagascar, brought there by settlers from Southeast Asia.

Therefore, instead of a single "parent language," you would need to specify which language family you are interested in to determine its ancestral roots.