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<article lang="en"><title>Development of Fonts for African Scripts: Using Computer Technologies to Preserve Africa’s Written H<phrase role="il">eritage</phrase> </title><articleinfo><authorblurb><para role="Author">Andrij Rovenchak (Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine)</para></authorblurb><abstract lang="de"><para role="AbstractDE">Die Ausgabe der Druckschriften, die für moderne eingeborene afrikanische Schrifte bildet, wird kurz besprochen. Kodierungsprobleme, einschließlich den Unicode Standard, werden angesprochen. Schriftproben werden für einige der Schrifte dargestellt.</para></abstract><abstract lang="en"><para role="AbstractEN">The issue of the font making for modern indigenous African scripts is briefly discussed. Encoding problems, including the Unicode standard, are addressed. Font samples are presented for some of the scripts.</para></abstract><abstract lang="fr"><para role="AbstractFR">L'issue de la police conduisant aux écritures africains indigènes modernes est brièvement discutée. Des problèmes de codage, y compris la norme d'Unicode, sont abordés. Des échantillons de police sont présentés pour certains des écritures.</para></abstract><authorgroup><author><firstname>Andrij</firstname><surname>Rovenchak</surname></author></authorgroup><biblioid class="uri">urn:nbn:de:0009-10-27604</biblioid><keywordset><keyword>Development of Fonts</keyword><keyword>African Scripts</keyword><keyword>Written Heritage</keyword></keywordset><subjectset scheme="bk"><subject></subject></subjectset><legalnotice><title>Licence</title><para>Any party may pass on this Work by electronic means and make it available for download under the terms and conditions of the Digital Peer Publishing Licence. The text of the licence may be accessed and retrieved via Internet at http://www.dipp.nrw.de/lizenzen/dppl/dppl/DPPL_v2_en_06-2004.html</para></legalnotice><volumenum>2010</volumenum><issuenum>1</issuenum><biblioset relation="journal"><issn>ISSN:1860-7462</issn><title>Afrikanistik Online</title></biblioset></articleinfo><section><title>Scripts of Africa in the Modern Age </title><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><1></para><para>Africa is a homeland of one of the most ancient writing systems, Egyptian hieroglyphs. An ongoing competition with the Sumerian cuneiform for the oldest script will hardly have a sure winner in the nearest future but recently the evidences supporting Africa’s side were revealed (Mitchell 1999).</para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><2></para><para>In the course of history, new scripts appeared on the African continent, Hieratic and Demotic forms were the simplifications of Egyptian hieroglyphs, Greek-based Coptic and Old Nubian alphabets developed, as well as Punic scripts, Lybian script, Tifinagh.</para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><3></para><para>Under the influence of the Arabic script, the so-called sub-Arabic (magic and secret) alphabets appeared (Dalby 1968).The adaptations of the Arabic alphabet for recording of African languages (under a general term <emphasis>ajami</emphasis>) are also known.</para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><4></para><para>Today, three scripts are officially adopted in Africa: <phrase role="Text-B">Roman</phrase>, <phrase role="Text-B">Arabic</phrase>, and <phrase role="Text-B">Ethiopic</phrase><emphasis role="bold"> </emphasis>(cf. Pasch 2008). In 2003, <phrase role="Text-B">Neo-Tifinagh</phrase> (Tifinagh IRCAM) alphabet was confirmed for an official use in Morocco for the Berber (Tamazight or Amazigh) language (Mafundikwa 2004:46), upon King Mohamed VI’s decision in 2002 (IRCAM n.d.).</para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><5></para><para>Numerous writing systems are known in Africa in the Modern Age, starting from the 19<superscript>th</superscript> century and especially in the course of the 20<superscript>th</superscript> century (Dalby 1967; 1969; Coulmas 2004; Mafundikwa 2004; Tuchscherer 2005; 2007; Kootz & Pasch 2008; Rovenchak & Glavy 2009), see Table 1 and Figure 1.</para><para><emphasis role="bold">Table 1</emphasis>: Provisional classification of indigenous African scripts</para><informaltable frame="all"><tgroup cols="5"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="83.0pt" colnum="1" /><colspec colname="col2" colwidth="111.5pt" colnum="2" /><colspec colname="col3" colwidth="93.9pt" colnum="3" /><colspec colname="col4" colwidth="82.7pt" colnum="4" /><colspec colname="col5" colwidth="106.0pt" colnum="5" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-11-B">Mande syllabaries</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-11-B">Other West-African alphabets</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col3" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-11-B">Further West-African scripts</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col4" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-11-B">Religious*</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col5" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-11-B">Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somali</phrase></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Vai</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">N’ko</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col3" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Bamum</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col4" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Oberi Okaime</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col5" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Coptic</phrase></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Mende</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Bassa (Vah)</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col3" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Bagam (Eghap)</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col4" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Yoruba Holy script</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col5" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Nubian Kenzi alphabet</phrase></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Kpelle</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Wolof Garay</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col3" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Bété</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col4" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Mandombe</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col5" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">New Nubian (Nobiin)</phrase></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Loma</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Wolof Saaliw wi</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col3" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Nwagu Aneke</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col4" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col5" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Zaghawa Beria</phrase></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Bambara</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Fula Ba</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col3" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Aka Umuagbara</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col4" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col5" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Somali Osmanya</phrase></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Fula Dita</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col3" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col4" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col5" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Somali Gadabuursi</phrase></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Hausa Raina Kama**</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col3" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col4" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col5" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Somali Kaddare</phrase></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Hausa Salifou (Gobiri)**</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col3" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col4" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col5" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Oromo</phrase></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para><phrase role="Text-10">Hausa Tafi**</phrase></para></entry><entry colname="col3" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col4" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry><entry colname="col5" valign="top" rowsep="1" colsep="1" align="left"><para /></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para>* Linked to some indigenous African church.</para><para>** For some introductory information on the Hausa scripts having rather limited usage, see <ulink url="http://www.bisharat.net/Demos/Hausa_alpha_3.htm"><phrase role="Hyperlink">this link</phrase></ulink>.</para><para /><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="1"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="464.1pt" colnum="1" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis role="bold">Figure 1</emphasis>: Map showing the locations of African script created in the Modern Age.</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata width="601px" depth="426px" fileref="dippArticle-1.jpg" format="JPG" srccredit="embed" /></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>Red dots indicate the scripts already represented in Unicode, remaining black circles show the locations of other numerous indigenous African scripts.</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><6></para><para>Usage of the various scripts shows significant variation. A few still have (or had in the past) considerable popularity among the speakers of a particular language (like Vai and Bamum) or a group of languages (like N’ko). Some scripts are/were used within indigenous African churches (Yoruba Holy script, Oberi Okaime, Mandombe). Many scripts are used within smaller communities, reduced sometimes to a particular family or a circle of close friends, and even the so called ‘individual scripts’ are known. It is not always possible to draw a strict dividing line between the script groups within this classification. The process of script creation was urged to a large extent by the end of colonial epoch in Africa in 1950s-1960s as an element of national identity. </para></section><section><title>Unicode</title><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><7></para><para>Of all the mentioned African scripts, only a few are represented in the <ulink url="http://www.unicode.org/"><phrase role="Hyperlink">Unicode</phrase></ulink>, an international standard for text representation in the majority of the world’s writing systems. These are: </para><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="2"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="23.9pt" colnum="1" /><colspec colname="col2" colwidth="436.7pt" colnum="2" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis>N’ko</emphasis> (07C0–07FF block)</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>Coptic and Nubian (2C80–2CFF block)</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis>Tifinagh</emphasis> (2D30–2D7F block)</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>Vai (A500–A63F block)</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>Somali <emphasis>Osmanya</emphasis> (10480–104AF block)</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>Bamum (A6A0–A6FF block)</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>Egyptian hieroglyphs (13000–1342F block)</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><8></para><para>Some scripts are waiting for a final approval which is expected in the nearest future:</para><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="2"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="23.9pt" colnum="1" /><colspec colname="col2" colwidth="436.7pt" colnum="2" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>Meroitic (10980–109FF block)</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>Old Bamum (16800–16A3F block)</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><9></para><para>The Bamum script and the Egyptian hieroglyphs are the most recent additions to the Unicode (<ulink url="http://www.unicode.org/versions/beta.html"><phrase role="Hyperlink">Version 5.2</phrase></ulink>) released in October 2009.</para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><10></para><para>While these additions will certainly take into account most of the new African scripts being represented by a relatively large amount of texts each (Bamum, Vai, N’ko, and Osmanya), many less popular scripts remain un-encoded and any relevant information exchange is still a big problem.</para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><11></para><para>For the preparation of Unicode proposals samples of script usage are crucial, and the lack of sufficient indigenous text materials is the main obstacle to develop a proper proposal. </para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><12></para><para>For many of those non-Unicode scripts various computer fonts were created. This fact facilitates the representation of indigenous African scripts in electronic form, requiring further standardization agreements though. One should note that this is not the problem of non-Unicode scripts only, e.g., most of the N’ko texts available electronically use a couple of pre-Unicode fonts<emphasis> </emphasis>with <phrase role="Text-B+I">different</phrase> character mapping.</para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><13></para><para>For the scripts covered by the Unicode fonts are available and this makes character shapes more or less standard. One should note, however, that character shapes themselves are not a subject of the Unicode encoding, neither are these shapes superimposed by any Unicode font. </para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><14></para><para>Many indigenous African scripts presently remain beyond the Unicode. The texts are mostly handwritten and character shapes vary significantly, cf. the variety of Brahmi-derived scripts in India and adjacent lands that appeared due to different writing styles, writing media, etc. before the printing was invented. As indigenous scripts are/were used mostly for personal communication and record keeping, only few appeared in printing with movable type in pre-computer era: Bassa, Osmanya, N'ko, and it is likely that this short list has no other items. </para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><15></para><para>The change of glyph shapes with the lapse of time is shown in Fig. 2 for the Kpelle script. The respective typefaces are based on different character tables collected by David Dalby (1967) and Ruth Stone (1990), respectively.</para><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="1"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="460.6pt" colnum="1" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis role="bold">Figure 2</emphasis>: Kpelle script, samples of different versions</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata width="533px" depth="134px" fileref="dippArticle-2.jpg" format="JPG" srccredit="embed" /></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis>JG Kpelle A / JG Kpelle B © </emphasis>GlavyFonts, based on Dalby (1967)</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para /><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="1"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="460.6pt" colnum="1" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata width="541px" depth="125px" fileref="dippArticle-3.jpg" format="JPG" srccredit="embed" /></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis>Kpelle New © </emphasis>Andrij Rovenchak, based on (Stone 1990)</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable></section><section><title>Available fonts and font samples</title><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><16></para><para>At present, the fonts for African indigenous scripts, both Unicode and non-Unicode, are known to be created by:</para><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="2"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="23.9pt" colnum="1" /><colspec colname="col2" colwidth="436.7pt" colnum="2" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>SIL: SIL Vai, Zaghawa Beria, etc.;</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>Evertype: Dukor (for Vai), N’ko, Osmanya, etc.;</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>Various vendors for separate scripts;</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis>Jason Glavy</emphasis> (GlavyFonts): <?d-linebreak?>JG Bamum (set), JG Bassa Vah Print, JG Bete, JG Gadabuursi Somali, JG Kpelle A, JG Kpelle B, JG Loma, JG Mende, JG Nko, JG Oromo, JG Vai (set);</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para>•</para></entry><entry colname="col2" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis>the present author</emphasis>:<?d-linebreak?>AkaUli, Bagam, Bambara Ma-sa-ba, Fula Ba, Fula Dita, Hausa Raina Kama, Hausa Salifou, HausaTafi, Kpelle New, Mandombe, Menelik, NeoTifinagh, OberiOkaime, Somali Osmanya, Yoruba ‘Holy’, Tifinagh, Wolof.</para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><17></para><para>This list, of course, is not intended as a complete one, and any information helping to expand the ‘various vendors’ item is highly appreciated.</para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><18></para><para>Below, the samples of some of the abovementioned typefaces are given (Figs.3-11). </para><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="1"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="460.6pt" colnum="1" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis role="bold">Figure 3</emphasis>:<emphasis role="bold"> </emphasis>JG Bamum <emphasis>Akauku</emphasis></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata width="382px" depth="249px" fileref="dippArticle-4.jpg" format="JPG" srccredit="embed" /></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para role="Listing-Bullet" /><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="1"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="460.6pt" colnum="1" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis role="bold">Figure 4</emphasis>:<emphasis role="bold"> </emphasis>JG Gadabuursi Somali</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata width="387px" depth="220px" fileref="dippArticle-5.jpg" format="JPG" srccredit="embed" /></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para role="Listing-Bullet" /><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="1"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="460.6pt" colnum="1" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis role="bold">Figure 5</emphasis>:<emphasis role="bold"> </emphasis>JG Mende</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata width="426px" depth="116px" fileref="dippArticle-6.jpg" format="JPG" srccredit="embed" /></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para role="Listing-Bullet" /><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="1"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="460.6pt" colnum="1" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis role="bold">Figure 6</emphasis>:<emphasis role="bold"> </emphasis>JG Oromo</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata width="556px" depth="235px" fileref="dippArticle-7.jpg" format="JPG" srccredit="embed" /></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para role="Listing-Bullet" /><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="1"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="460.6pt" colnum="1" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis role="bold">Figure 7</emphasis>:<emphasis role="bold"> </emphasis><emphasis>AkaUli</emphasis></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata width="354px" depth="306px" fileref="dippArticle-8.jpg" format="JPG" srccredit="embed" /></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><19></para><para>This sample of the <emphasis>Aka Umuagbara</emphasis> script represents a poem in the Igbo language. The script was created in the 1980s by Dr. Ogonna Anaagudo-Agu from Calabar (Nigeria), the character shapes are partially based on traditional <emphasis>Uli</emphasis> symbols (Anaagudo-Agu, private communication, 2008).</para><para /><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="1"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="460.6pt" colnum="1" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis role="bold">Figure 8</emphasis>:<emphasis role="bold"> </emphasis>Bambara <emphasis>Ma-sa-ba</emphasis></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata width="448px" depth="414px" fileref="dippArticle-9.jpg" format="JPG" srccredit="embed" /></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para /><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="1"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="460.6pt" colnum="1" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis role="bold">Figure 9</emphasis>:<emphasis role="bold"> </emphasis><emphasis>Mandombe</emphasis></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata width="354px" depth="32px" fileref="dippArticle-10.jpg" format="JPG" srccredit="embed" /></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para /><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="1"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="460.6pt" colnum="1" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis role="bold">Figure 10</emphasis>:<emphasis role="bold"> </emphasis><emphasis>OberiOkaime</emphasis></para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata width="385px" depth="269px" fileref="dippArticle-11.jpg" format="JPG" srccredit="embed" /></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable><para /><informaltable frame="none"><tgroup cols="1"><colspec colname="col1" colwidth="460.6pt" colnum="1" /><tbody><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><emphasis role="bold">Figure 11</emphasis>:<emphasis role="bold"> </emphasis>Wolof</para></entry></row><row><entry colname="col1" valign="top" rowsep="0" colsep="0" align="left"><para><inlinemediaobject><imageobject><imagedata width="327px" depth="119px" fileref="dippArticle-12.jpg" format="JPG" srccredit="embed" /></imageobject></inlinemediaobject></para></entry></row></tbody></tgroup></informaltable></section><section><title>Final remarks</title><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><20></para><para>Script materials are highly dispersed; usually the manuscripts are not preserved in good conditions (Tuchscherer 1995). The Bamum script is an exception as a <ulink url="http://www.bamumscript.org/"><phrase role="Hyperlink">project</phrase></ulink> aiming the preservation of the Bamum script materials was initiated recently. </para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><21></para><para>Computer fonts can attribute to saving those materials by means of converting them into an electronic form, which is otherwise available only via scanning. Availability of electronic texts is a prerequisite for any broad linguistic analysis, which is yet to be done for texts written in indigenous African scripts.</para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><22></para><para>Of course, there is something beyond practical applications of the font making, something like a pure interest. And – fortunately – one can take advantage of this pure interest for the preservation of Africa's written heritage.</para><para role="Paragraphnumbering"><23></para><para><phrase role="Text-B">Acknowledgements. </phrase>I am grateful to Fritz-Thyssen-Stiftung for the opportunity to participate in the Workshop <phrase role="Text-B+I">5000 Jahre Schrift in Afrika:</phrase><emphasis> Entstehung, Funktionen und Wechsel von Schriftsystemen </emphasis>(November 2008, Köln)<emphasis>.</emphasis></para><para><phrase role="Text-B">References</phrase></para><para role="References-Author">Coulmas, Florian 2004</para><para role="References"><phrase role="References-I">The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Writing Systems.</phrase> Blackwell Publishing</para><para role="References-Author">Dalby, David 1967</para><para role="References">‘A survey of the indigenous scripts of Liberia and Sierra Leone: Vai, Mende, Loma, Kpelle and Bassa.’ In: <phrase role="References-I">African Language Studies</phrase> 8:1-51</para><para role="References-Author">Dalby, David 1968</para><para role="References">‘The indigenous scripts of West Africa and Surinam: Their inspiration and design.’ In: <phrase role="References-I">African Language Studies</phrase>, 9:156-197</para><para role="References-Author">Dalby, David 1969</para><para role="References">‘Further indigenous scripts of West Africa: Manding, Wolof and Fula alphabets and Yoruba ‘holy’ writing.’ In: <phrase role="References-I">African Language Studies</phrase>, 10:161-181</para><para>IRCAM n.d.</para><para role="References"><phrase role="References-I">Institut Royal de la Culture Amazighe</phrase><emphasis>.</emphasis> <ulink url="http://www.ircam.ma/fr/index.php?soc=ircam&rd=5"><phrase role="Hyperlink">http://www.ircam.ma/fr/index.php?soc=ircam&rd=5</phrase></ulink> (25.11.2010)</para><para>Kootz, Anja and Helma Pasch (eds.) 2008</para><para role="References"><phrase role="References-I">5000 Jahre Schrift in Afrika</phrase>. 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(in Ukrainian)</para><para role="References-Author">Stone, Ruth M. 1990</para><para role="References">‘Ingenious Invention: The Indigenous Kpelle Script in the Late Twentieth Century.’ In: <phrase role="References-I">Liberian Studies Journal</phrase> XV, 2:135-144</para><para role="References-Author">Tuchscherer, Konrad 1995</para><para role="References">African Script and Scripture: The History of the <emphasis>Kikakui</emphasis> (Mende) Writing System for Bible Translations.' In: <phrase role="References-I">African Languages and Cultures</phrase> 8, 2:169-188</para><para role="References-Author">Tuchscherer, Konrad 2005</para><para role="References">'History of writing in Africa.' In: Apiah, Kwame Anthony and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (eds.) <emphasis>Africana: </emphasis><phrase role="References-I">The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience. 2nd edition</phrase>, pp.476-480. New York: Oxford University Press</para><para role="References-Author">Tuchscherer, Konrad 2007</para><para role="References">'Recording, communicating and making visible: A history of writing and systems of graphic symbolism in Africa.' In: <phrase role="References-I">Inscribing Meaning: Writing and Graphic Systems in African Art</phrase>, pp.37-53. Smithsonian Institution</para></section></article>
