ancient african writing systems ans scripts

8/13/2019 Ancient African Writing Systems Ans Scripts

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http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems

Nsibidi Script below
http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systemshttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems


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African Writing Systems

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Mandombe scriptWriting is a means by which people record, objectify, and organize their activities and thoughts through images and graphs .

Writing is a means to inscribe meanings that are expressed through sounds. urther, writing provides an aspect of historicality. !"#This means that writing facilitates the proper recording and transmissions of events and deeds from one generation to another.

Most of the worlds written script originated from the Semitic script. The $ree%s converted the Semitic script into what was to becomethe &'nglish script& of the western world. (rabic and )ebrew retained the basic format of the Semitic script, employing vowel

characters and not letters. *hinese script developed uni+uely.

It is rather interesting to note that no alphabet is known to have ever been formed by Europeans.

We are very familiar with the (frican 'gyptianhieroglyphic script and the (frican'thiopian$eez script, which date as old as ---

* and /-- * years respectively.
http://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/Writing_Systems/Amharic.htmlhttp://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/Writing_Systems/Amharic.htmlhttp://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Egypt&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Ethiopiahttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Ethiopiahttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Ethiopiahttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Mandombe_script.jpghttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Mandombe_script.jpghttp://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/Writing_Systems/Amharic.htmlhttp://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Egypt&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Ethiopia


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)owever forgotten by no coincidence are many other ancient (frican scripts that are uni+ue and expressive in their own ways. Scriptscreated and used for hundreds of years from Sudan to 0igeria. 1t appears that one of the main reasons why these great (frican script

were lost in the sands of )istorical time, is the direct mechanism of the colonial operation.

*olonialism was internationally justified on a premise that the (frican was less than a human, this stamped by the infamous "23/&*ode 0oir&. !4#To this goal, all evidence of (frican advanced s%ills would have been suppressed, boo%s destroyed and higher s%illssilenced.

1n a time when only the 0obles of the West could read and write, if a slave, who was portrayed as an animal 5still written in the 6Sconstitution as 7/ths a human in the & three8fifths clause&!#9 could read and write in his native language with advanced s%ill, it would

be impossible to maintain his being less than human.

)ere we loo% at some of the great forgotten scripts of the (frican continent.

Contents

" 'thiopic Script

4 'gyptian Script

Sudan Script

: (fan ;romo script

/ assa Script

3 'do7enin Script
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/335/http://caho-test.cc.columbia.edu/ta/13028.html/http://caho-test.cc.columbia.edu/ta/13028.html/http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Ethiopic_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Egyptian_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Sudan_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Afan_Oromo_scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Bassa_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Vai_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Mende_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Nsibidi_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Edo.2FBenin_Scripthttp://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/335/http://caho-test.cc.columbia.edu/ta/13028.html/http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Ethiopic_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Egyptian_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Sudan_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Afan_Oromo_scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Bassa_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Vai_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Mende_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Nsibidi_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Edo.2FBenin_Script


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"- Tifinagh Script

"" amun Script

"4 ?u%a%ui Script

" 0&%o Script

": Mandombe Script

"/ Shumom Script and @rint @ress

"3 *ontroversy

Ethiopic Script
http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Tifinagh_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Bamun_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Kukakui_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#N.27ko_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Mandombe_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Shumom_Script_and_Print_Presshttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Controversyhttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Tifinagh_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Bamun_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Kukakui_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#N.27ko_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Mandombe_Scripthttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Shumom_Script_and_Print_Presshttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/African_Writing_Systems#Controversy


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'thiopic is an (frican Writing System designed as a meaningful and graphic representation of %nowledge. 1t is a component of the(frican ?nowledge Systems and one of the signal contributions made by (fricans to the world history and cultures. 1t is created to

holistically symbolize and locate the cultural and historical parameters of the Ethiopianpeople. The System, in its classic state, has atotal of "24 syllographs, which are arranged in seven columns, each column containing 43 syllographs. 'thiopic is a %nowledge

system because it is brilliantly organized to represent philosophical features, such as ideography, mnumonics, syllography, astronomy,

and grammatology. !:#
http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Ethiopiahttp://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/Writing_Systems/Geez.html/http://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/Writing_Systems/Geez.html/http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Ethiopic_script.GIFhttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Ethiopiahttp://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/Writing_Systems/Geez.html/


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Egyptian Script


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http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Egyptian_script.GIF


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Sudan Script

y the third century * a new indigenous alphabet, the Meroitic, consisting of twenty8three letters, replaced Egyptianscript. TheMeroitic script is an alphabetic script originally derived from 'gyptian hieroglyphs, used to write the Meroitic language of the

?ingdom of MeroA7?ush. 1t was developed sometime during the 0apatan @eriod 5about =-- 8 -- *9, and first appears in the 4nd

century *. or a time, it was also possibly used to write the 0ubian language of the successor 0ubian %ingdoms. The Meroitic scriptis very similar to the 'gyptian Writing System. 1t was used by the Meroe people, a civilization of the Sudan. The system is written

from right to left, unli%e the 'gyptian system which can be written right to left, left to right, and vertically. !/#
http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Egypt&action=edit&redlink=1http://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/Writing_Systems/Meroitic.html/http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Meroitic_script.GIFhttp://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Egypt&action=edit&redlink=1http://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/Writing_Systems/Meroitic.html/


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Afan Oromo script


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http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Afan_Oromo_script.GIF


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1t is the language by more than 4/ million ;romo and neighboring peoples in Ethiopiaand enya.;lder publications refer to thelanguage as B$allaB, a term that is resented by ;romo people and no longer used.

!assa Script
http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kenya&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kenya&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Kenya&action=edit&redlink=1


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http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Bassa_script.jpg


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"IS#O$% of the !assa Script& '(() !C5*iberia, West (frica9

Many people today are unaware of the genius of the (frican. (lthough they might admit to a complex verbal language structure, it

may come as +uite a surprise to many that (frican people have a multitude of written languages. 1n Ciberia the assa people have a

written script. The ?pelle, $ola, Corma, $rebo,


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West (frica "2">
http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Vai_script.gif


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The actual origins of this script are enmeshed in mythology. This script said to be invented by inspiration by Momolu Euwalu u%eleat about "2">.Some suggest that he developed this script from coming into contact with the assaCiberian script in his sojourns. !2#

,ende Script
http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=1819&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=1819&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Bassa&action=edit&redlink=1http://books.google.com/books?id=HpMZ9wIGn10C&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=bassa+script&source=bl&ots=eHDcU-wGqe&sig=rdbw0sc8bPhwvPvRY07VT1nbf3k&hl=en&ei=dcD_SYC7D96Ltgf_3umWBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5http://books.google.com/books?id=HpMZ9wIGn10C&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=bassa+script&source=bl&ots=eHDcU-wGqe&sig=rdbw0sc8bPhwvPvRY07VT1nbf3k&hl=en&ei=dcD_SYC7D96Ltgf_3umWBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=1819&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Bassa&action=edit&redlink=1http://books.google.com/books?id=HpMZ9wIGn10C&pg=PA44&lpg=PA44&dq=bassa+script&source=bl&ots=eHDcU-wGqe&sig=rdbw0sc8bPhwvPvRY07VT1nbf3k&hl=en&ei=dcD_SYC7D96Ltgf_3umWBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5


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http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Mende_script.GIF


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Sierra *eone

-sibidiScript
http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Nsibidihttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Nsibidi


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The -igerian0sibidiis an indigenous adaptable and fluid writing system of two dimensional signs, three dimensional forms of

pictographs and ideographs and pantomimed gestures. 1t originated as an esoteric form of %nowledge understood by a select group of
http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Nsibidihttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Nsibidi.GIFhttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Nsibidi


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people mostly members of a secret society in Southeastern 0igeria which some sources lin% to the 'jaghamand later spread to'fi%,1gbo, 1bibio, 'fut,(nnangand anyangspea%ing areas.

Some of the signs of the 0sibidi spread to the *aribbeanandrazilduring the slave trade.

Edo!eninScript
http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Ejagham&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Efik&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Efik&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Igbohttp://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Ibibio&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Efut&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Efut&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Annanghttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Annanghttp://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Banyang&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Banyang&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Caribbean&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Caribbean&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Brazil&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Brazil&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Edo/Benin&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Ejagham&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Efik&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Igbohttp://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Ibibio&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Efut&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Annanghttp://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Banyang&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Caribbean&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Brazil&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Edo/Benin&action=edit&redlink=1


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http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Benin-edo-writing.jpg


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enin and 'do people of southern 0igeria have developed a chromatographic system of writing. That is a writing based on differentcolor combination&s and graphs. (ba (bhuluime of 0igeria brought the chromatographic writing system to our attention. The system

is also called +uantography or pictography. This system of color writing and tradition needs to be further investigated. (ccording to

Mr. (bhuluime, there is a published wor% entitled B(frican ScienceD The (rt of *olour WritingB by (ba ;ta in ">>>. We hope toprovide additional information on color writing in the future. SourceD httpD77afri%afriend.:bb.ru7viewtopic.phpKidL"::pL4
http://afrikafriend.4bb.ru/viewtopic.php?id=1344&p=2http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Edo-benin-writing.jpghttp://afrikafriend.4bb.ru/viewtopic.php?id=1344&p=2


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#ifinagh Script


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http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Libyan_script.GIF


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Cameroon, West (frica

ukakui Script
http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Cameroonhttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Kikakui_script.gifhttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Cameroon


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Sierra *eone

-/ko Script

0uinea
http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Sierra_Leonehttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Sierra_Leonehttp://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Guinea&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Nko_script.jpghttp://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/Sierra_Leonehttp://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Guinea&action=edit&redlink=1


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,andombe Script


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http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Mandombe_script.jpg


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$epublic of Congo

Shumom Script and 1rint 1ress
http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Congo&action=edit&redlink=1http://nigerianwiki.com/index.php?title=Congo&action=edit&redlink=1


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http://nigerianwiki.com/wiki/File:Shumom-cornell.JPG


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Shumom Script and 1rint 1ress of Cameroon

The Shumom people are the people of *ameroon in West (frica. Their country is located between 0igeria in the West, '+uatorial

$uinea, $abon and *ongo razzaville in the South and *had and *entral (frican Hepublic in the 0orth. Within *ameroon, the landof the Shumom people is located in the northern part. 1t is a land of massif plateau and mountains, valleys and vast forested land, a

part of the great e+uatorial forest of West and *entral (frica. oumban is the administrative capital of the district.

1n the beginning of the 4-th century or perhaps earlier, the people of *ameroon were able to accomplish one of the most remar%able

(frican achievements of the centuryD the invention of a self2sustaining and self governing writing system and a !ron3e castprinting set device to document the histories of the people.Sultan 1brahim 0joya, whose father was %illed resisting the $erman

invaders, led the invention. The invention that started in the late nineteenth century 5"2>/ or "2>39 was completed by the beginning ofthe 4-& century in ">-. y the time of the $ermans arrival, the writing system was in use in conjunction with the amum language,

which is a tonal language, which means the meanings of a word will vary depending upon the tone with which the sound of the word

is uttered. The system went through seven stages of development. The first stage had over five hundred pictographs and the last stagehas had only / syllographs, graphs designed to represent all the phonetic and tone sounds in the amum language of the Shumom

people.

?ing 0joya opened a school in umban where many are trained to become literate and promote leaming in their own language.

Several manuscripts and documents were produced, including the histories, laws and customs of the people and their neighbors. Twosystems of writing were taught at the schoolD the Hoyal and the popular scripts. #ragically the most important documents are taken

away by colonial masters out of Cameroon and they are housed in the 4rench and !ritish ,useums. #he 0ermans and later

the 4rench did not want to see the flourishing of a literary tradition among the !amums. -ot only they killed or e5iled their

leaders6 they also violently banned the use of Shumom& thereby condemning the people to colonial dark age.

The remar%able accomplishments of the *ameroonians is in line with the long and glorious traditions of the inventions and use of

writing systems, perhaps beginning with the hieroglyphics of the (ncient 'gyptians whose earliest pictographic writing now dated tobe :--.*.

The Shumom writing system was invented and used in such a participatory democracy where all the members of the society are as%edby the %ing to participate in the project. ?ing 0joya, the able and visionary leader, ordered his constituency to contribute symbols for

the writing system. 1n so doing not only he succeeded in ensuring a wide range of ideographic ideas to choose from, but he also paved

the way for eventual acceptance of the system by the whole nation. This process combined with mythology would place the system aspermanent cultural asset and legacy of the people.


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HefD

". httpD77www.library.cornell.edu7africana7WritingOSystems7Shumom.html

4. httpD77boo%s.google.com7boo%sK

idLH)fE1:aM/T1*pgL@(2lpgL@(2d+LbamunPprintingPpresssourceLblotsL/j>%>>Q23;sigL8+otof2af;$xTfy"4awsnMhghlLeneiL+rbSv$?:y8

l(e2zMn1QsaLRoiLboo%OresultctLresultresnumL"vLonepage+Lbamun4-printing4-pressfLfalse

Controversy

When many of these scripts were re8discovered, the (frican historian discoverers were again by no coincidence +uic%ly labeled tohave been the formulators of these ancient scripts, and a propaganda tale was spread in all cases that these scripts were invented

recently by each discovering researcher in an amusingly identical fashion of them setting out to create these written languages Ee

0ovo just to prove that (fricans too could create written language, and in all cases they were &coincidentally& described to havemeditated or been aided by visions to carry out this daunting tas%. This bemusing fallacy has been debun%ed as evidence of ancient

use of these scripts have been found in all cases.
http://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/Writing_Systems/Shumom.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=RHfDI4aM5TIC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=bamun+printing+press&source=bl&ots=5j9k99Q86O&sig=-qotof8afOGx3Tfy12Fa3wsnMhg&hl=en&ei=qrbBSvGKF4y-lAe8zMnIBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=bamun%20printing%20press&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=RHfDI4aM5TIC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=bamun+printing+press&source=bl&ots=5j9k99Q86O&sig=-qotof8afOGx3Tfy12Fa3wsnMhg&hl=en&ei=qrbBSvGKF4y-lAe8zMnIBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=bamun%20printing%20press&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=RHfDI4aM5TIC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=bamun+printing+press&source=bl&ots=5j9k99Q86O&sig=-qotof8afOGx3Tfy12Fa3wsnMhg&hl=en&ei=qrbBSvGKF4y-lAe8zMnIBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=bamun%20printing%20press&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=RHfDI4aM5TIC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=bamun+printing+press&source=bl&ots=5j9k99Q86O&sig=-qotof8afOGx3Tfy12Fa3wsnMhg&hl=en&ei=qrbBSvGKF4y-lAe8zMnIBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=bamun%20printing%20press&f=falsehttp://www.library.cornell.edu/africana/Writing_Systems/Shumom.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books?id=RHfDI4aM5TIC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=bamun+printing+press&source=bl&ots=5j9k99Q86O&sig=-qotof8afOGx3Tfy12Fa3wsnMhg&hl=en&ei=qrbBSvGKF4y-lAe8zMnIBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=bamun%20printing%20press&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=RHfDI4aM5TIC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=bamun+printing+press&source=bl&ots=5j9k99Q86O&sig=-qotof8afOGx3Tfy12Fa3wsnMhg&hl=en&ei=qrbBSvGKF4y-lAe8zMnIBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=bamun%20printing%20press&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=RHfDI4aM5TIC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=bamun+printing+press&source=bl&ots=5j9k99Q86O&sig=-qotof8afOGx3Tfy12Fa3wsnMhg&hl=en&ei=qrbBSvGKF4y-lAe8zMnIBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=bamun%20printing%20press&f=false

ancient african writing systems ans scripts

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