Inventing An African Alphabet

In 1978, Congolese inventor David Wabeladio Payi (1958–2013) proposed a new writing system, called Mandombe. Since then, Mandombe has grown and now has thousands of learners in not only the Democratic Republic of Congo, but also France, Angola and many other countries. Drawing upon Ramon Sarró's personal friendship with Wabeladio, this book tells the story of Wabeladio, his alphabet and the creativity that both continue to inspire. A member of the Kimbanguist church, which began as an anticolonial movement in 1921, Wabeladio and his script were deeply influenced by spirituality and Kongo culture. Combining biography, art, and religion, Sarró explores a range of ideas, from the role of pilgrimage and landscape in Wabeladio's life, to the intricacies and logic of Mandombe. Sarró situates the creative individual within a rich context of anthropological, historical and philosophical scholarship, offering a new perspective on the relationships between imagination, innovation and revelation.

This is an enhanced ebook with a read-along function. An African Alphabet is a vibrant ABC book that introduces babies and toddlers to the unique variety of animals found in Africa. An alphabet for all ages, the stunning linocut-influenced artwork brings an uncommon selection of critters to life in this lively concept book. From aardvark to zebra and all that's in between, little ones will love learning their alphabet with these colorful creatures.

From aardvark to zebra and all that's in between, little ones will love learning their alphabet with these colorful creatures. An African Alphabet is a vibrant ABC book that introduces babies and toddlers to the unique variety of animals found in Africa. An alphabet for all ages, the stunning linocut-influenced artwork brings an uncommon selection of critters to life in this lively concept book.

The first comprehensive intellectual history of alphabet studies. Inventing the Alphabet provides the first account of two-and-a-half millennia of scholarship on the alphabet. Drawing on decades of research, Johanna Drucker dives into sometimes obscure and esoteric references, dispelling myths and identifying a pantheon of little-known scholars who contributed to our modern understandings of the alphabet, one of the most important inventions in human history. Beginning with Biblical tales and accounts from antiquity, Drucker traces the transmission of ancient Greek thinking about the alphabet’s origin and debates about how Moses learned to read. The book moves through the centuries, finishing with contemporary concepts of the letters in alpha-numeric code used for global communication systems. Along the way, we learn about magical and angelic alphabets, antique inscriptions on coins and artifacts, and the comparative tables of scripts that continue through the development of modern fields of archaeology and paleography. This is the first book to chronicle the story of the intellectual history through which the alphabet has been “invented” as an object of scholarship.

From Beads to Drums to Masquerades, from Grandmother to Yams, this photographic alphabet book captures the rhythms of day-to-day village life in Africa. It reveals not only traditional crafts and customs, but also the African sense of occasion and fun.

From debut authors Udhedhe and Ufuoma Olakpe comes a unique and charming alphabet book celebrating the rich culture, delicious foods, fascinating animals, and exciting sights and sounds of life in Africa's most populous country - Nigeria.From A for Agbada to Z for Zuma, this fresh alphabet book takes young readers on an exciting adventure to discover the people, places, lifestyles, and language of life in an African country. Beautiful illustrations from illustrator Gabby Zermeño bring to life the beauty, wonder, and culture of this vast, diverse, and vibrant country

Identifies each letter of the alphabet with a corresponding plant, animal, character, or location representing South Africa, from the aardvark to Johannesburg and the Xhosa tribe.