À partir de XIXᵉ siècle
Liberia and adjoining parts of West Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Vai script is a writing system invented about 1833 by Momolu Duwela Bukele for the Vai people. It spread rapidly and was used for private and official correspondence, accounts, customary laws, proverbs, stories, and fables. Neighboring Mende, Toma, Guerze/Kpelle, and Bassa communities adopted or adapted it.
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Le récit
The Vai script emerged on the West African coast about 1833, when Momolu Duwela Bukele invented a writing system for the Vai people. Its development provided a locally created means of recording communication and knowledge outside the established Arabic and European writing traditions discussed elsewhere in the excerpt. The script is therefore presented as both a linguistic and documentary innovation.
The system spread quickly among the Vai. By the close of the nineteenth century, nearly all Vai people reportedly knew the script and used it in everyday and institutional contexts. It served for private and official correspondence, account keeping, and the recording of customary laws, proverbs, stories, and fables.
The script also crossed community boundaries. Mende, Toma or Loma, Guerze or Kpelle, and Bassa groups adopted and adapted it for similar purposes. This wider use made Vai writing an important medium for preserving social memory, customary knowledge, and practical records in a multilingual region.
À partir de XIXᵉ siècle
Liberia and adjoining parts of West Africa
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Vai script is a writing system invented about 1833 by Momolu Duwela Bukele for the Vai people. It spread rapidly and was used for private and official correspondence, accounts, customary laws, proverbs, stories, and fables. Neighboring Mende, Toma, Guerze/Kpelle, and Bassa communities adopted or adapted it.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
The Vai script emerged on the West African coast about 1833, when Momolu Duwela Bukele invented a writing system for the Vai people. Its development provided a locally created means of recording communication and knowledge outside the established Arabic and European writing traditions discussed elsewhere in the excerpt. The script is therefore presented as both a linguistic and documentary innovation.
The system spread quickly among the Vai. By the close of the nineteenth century, nearly all Vai people reportedly knew the script and used it in everyday and institutional contexts. It served for private and official correspondence, account keeping, and the recording of customary laws, proverbs, stories, and fables.
The script also crossed community boundaries. Mende, Toma or Loma, Guerze or Kpelle, and Bassa groups adopted and adapted it for similar purposes. This wider use made Vai writing an important medium for preserving social memory, customary knowledge, and practical records in a multilingual region.