Ancient writing systems of Africa: The biggest reason why most modern day historians have pursued for so long the false notion that ancient Egypt could not have been of African origins, was mainly due to the consensus that many Eurocentric white scholars had perpetuated. That there had been no record of any sort of advanced literature or writing systems in ancient Africa prior to slavery other than that of ancient Egypt. This then led to the conclusion that since Egypt appeared to be so advanced in literature, mathematics, science, art, architecture, etc it could not have possibly been that of such a primitive race of people like the Africans, for they had not in any way made any contribution to modern day systems of literature whatsoever. But this of course is just one of the many misconceptions created by the white man about Africa and its people. There are writing systems in Africa that are well known and some that arent. Some of these writing systems date back to the BCE era. One of the more famous is the Meroitic system of writing, dating all the way back to 700 BCE to 500 AD. This mysterious script which scholars are still trying to decipher also gave rise to the old Nubian script which was used in the Nubian Middle Aged period. Geez used in ancient Abyssinia is very famous and was used as for the liturgical purposes of Early Church Writing in the Tewehedo Church. Geez is said to be part of the old Sabaean writing systems. Tifinagh is another ancient writing system that was used in the 6th century BC. Its very famous and its characters have been inscribed in different tombstones of the Sahara. Many countries located in the Sahara have adopted this script and have applied it to record some of their historical events. Other interesting scripts are the Bassa, which are said to have been conjured in the 3rd century BCE. The Bassa script is said to have been discovered by Dr. Thomas Flo Darwin Lewis in the 1890s when slaves had already had knowledge of the script, it was found to be used in Brazil and the West Indies. So even after slaves were held captive and restricted to read or write the Bassa or Bassai script was passed down and passed on through generations. One can find old engravings of Bassa in old tree barks and other places in Liberia. Dr Flo Narvon Lewiss encounter with it inspired him to create a modernized version of it. Other writing systems of Liberia and Sierre Leonne have inspired them to create other Vai writing systems. These writing systems contain over 80 syllagraphs on average but the Bassa writing system is by far the most advanced of the Vai having somewhere from 22 to 26 characters. Bassa Vah is part of the Vai scripts and must not be confused. Ndibisi writing systems from Nigerian origins are unclear. It is the writing systems of the Igbo and is said to be used by secret societies and had many sacramental religious purposes. But traces of this recording system have also been found in tombstones in Virginia and also among Abuko religious societies of Cuba. And then there are the ancient manuscripts of Mali. The manuscripts of Timbuktu in Mali offer an unparalleled window into societies and intellectual traditions of the Western Sudan from the late 15th century onward, but for decades they have been inaccessible. The manuscripts and their covers demonstrate a sophisticated visual and technical artistry and reflect a rich intellectual and scholarly tradition. They cover a diverse range of topics and genres, including the natural and physical sciences (astronomy, mathematics, botany, and medicine); the literary arts (poetic verse, panegyrics, grammar) Charts, diagrams, commentaries, and marginalia are plentiful; some recount complex genealogies and scientific theories, others record intellectual disagreements among scholars, teachers and commentators. During the past two centuries, most of the manuscripts have been concealed, often buried or hidden to safeguard them from colonial agents, lawlessness, and political instability. Partly as a result of the conditions in which the manuscripts were stored, they face an array of conservation challenges, including damage from insects, desiccation, and the fading of certain inks.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 13:16:11 +0000
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