The N'ko Alphabet as a Vehicle of Indigenist Historiography

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Periodical article

Title:	The N'ko Alphabet as a Vehicle of Indigenist Historiography
Author:	Oyler, Dianne White
Year:	1997
Periodical:	History in Africa
Volume:	24
Pages:	239-256
Language:	English
Geographic term:	West Africa
Subjects:	alphabets writing systems Mande languages Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
External link:	https://www.jstor.org/stable/3172028
Abstract:	The N'ko alphabet, invented in 1949 by Souleymane Kanté of Kankan, Republic of Guinea, constituted an attempt to provide an indigenous written form for Mande languages. Since its invention, a grassroots movement promoting literacy in the N'ko alphabet has spread across West Africa from the Gambia to Nigeria. This article examines the emergence of the N'ko alphabet, the reasons behind the alphabet's creation and the process by which it evolved, the process by which the alphabet was disseminated under the guidance of its creator, and the depth and breadth of N'ko literacy within the Mande-speaking community. Finally, it discusses the motivation for learning the N'ko alphabet and the problems it poses for one local community. The article is based on research in Kankan in 1992-1993 and 1994. Notes, ref.