The Rich History of Writing in West Africa

📜West Africa is home to numerous unique scripts, with at least twenty-six in the region since the 1800s.

🌍Scripts like Adlam, N'ko, and Vai have been created for specific West African languages, representing their unique linguistic features.

💡While influenced by Arabic and Latin scripts, West African scripts have distinct symbols and features that make them their own.

📚West African scripts have been used to write letters, books, and texts on phones, ensuring the preservation of Indigenous languages and culture.

🔍The creation of these scripts goes beyond linguistic needs, representing an Indigenous West African vision of the written word and preserving cultural heritage.

How many scripts have been created in West Africa?

—At least twenty-six scripts have been created in West Africa since the 1800s, representing diverse languages and dialects in the region.

What are some examples of West African scripts?

—Some examples of West African scripts include Adlam, N'ko, Vai, Ndebe, Garay, Bété, Yoruba Holy Writing, Shü-mom, and the Vai syllabary.

What are the unique features of West African scripts?

—West African scripts have characteristics influenced by Arabic and Latin scripts but include their own symbols and features. They often have a cursive connected style, full vowel letters, and numbers that run in the same direction as the text.

How have West African scripts been used?

—West African scripts have been used to write letters, books, and texts on phones. They are taught in classes and have contributed to the preservation of Indigenous languages and culture.

What is the significance of West African scripts?

—Beyond linguistic needs, the creation of West African scripts represents an Indigenous West African vision of the written word. It preserves cultural heritage by incorporating ancient symbols and visual graphic codes.

00:00Since the 1800s, West Africa has seen the creation of numerous unique scripts, with at least twenty-six scripts in the region.

02:31Brothers Abdoulaye and Ibrahima invent Adlam, a script for the Fula language, in 1986.

03:41Sulemana Kantɛ creates the N'ko script in the 1940s to represent Manding languages and embrace their dialects.

06:40West Africa is a hotbed of writing systems innovation, with scripts like Adlam, N'ko, Vai, and many others.

08:18Visual graphic codes and ancient symbols, such as Nsibidi and Adinkra signs, have inspired West African scripts.

09:37West African scripts not only solve a linguistic problem but also represent an Indigenous vision of the written word, preserving cultural heritage.