Thomas Decker and the Death of Boss Coker

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Periodical article

Title:	Thomas Decker and the Death of Boss Coker
Author:	Shrimpton, Neville
Year:	1987
Periodical:	Africa: Journal of the International African Institute
Volume:	57
Issue:	4
Pages:	531-545
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Sierra Leone
Subjects:	lingua francas literature satire Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups) History and Exploration
About person:	Thomas Alexander Leighton Decker
External links:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/1159898 https://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pao:&rft_dat=xri:pao:article:4011-1987-057-00-000030
Abstract:	Thomas Alexander Leighton Decker was the man who, more than any other, crusaded for the acceptance of Krio as a language in its own right in Sierra Leone. Decker developed his ideas about Krio in the columns of the Sierra Leone 'Daily Guardian'. He formulated most of his basic theories during the last five months of 1939. Probably the most significant piece of writing during this period was his 'Sketch in Creeo' about a character called Boss Coker. This was a satire on all the opinions and attitudes he was trying to change, and it was far from well received. This article traces the development of Decker's ideas concerning Krio over these months leading up to and following the publication of 'Boss Coker', and relates these ideas and the phenomenon of Boss Cokerism to the general debate about Krio and to Thomas Decker's later Krio works. Notes, ref., sum. in French.