Solomana_Kante

Solomana Kante

Solomana Kante

Guinean writer and educator who invented the N'Ko alphabet

Solomana Kanté (also written as Sùlemáana Kántε,[1] Souleymane Kanté or Sulemaana Kantè; N'Ko: ߛߎ߬ߟߋ߬ߡߊ߬ߣߊ߬ ߞߊ߲ߕߍ߫, 1922 – November 23, 1987) was a Guinean writer, neographer, and educator,[2] best known as the inventor of the N'Ko alphabet for the Manding language varieties of Africa.

Solomana Kante (left) and Baba Mamadi Diane (right)
Map of the life of Sulemaana Kante, inventor of the N'ko alphabet
Grave of Solomana Kanté

Kanté created N'Ko, a modern script for, as he saw it,[3] the Manding language in 1949 after five years of experimentation with various writing systems.[1] The script first came into use in Kankan, Guinea and was disseminated from there into other Manding-speaking parts of West Africa.

References

  1. [1]
    Donaldson, Coleman (2020). "The Role of Islam, Ajami writings, and educational reform in Sulemaana Kantè's N'ko". African Studies Review. 63 (3): 462–486. doi:10.1017/asr.2019.59. ISSN 0002-0206.
  2. [2]
    Vydrin, Valentin (1999). Manding-English Dictionary : (Maninka, Bamana). Lac-Beauport. p. 8. ISBN 9780993996931. OCLC 905517929.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. [3]
    Donaldson, Coleman (2017-01-01). "Orthography, Standardization, and Register: The Case of Manding". In P. Lane, J. Costa, & H. De Korne (Eds.), Standardizing Minority Languages: Competing Ideologies of Authority and Authenticity in the Global Periphery (Pp. 175–199). New York, NY: Routledge. (2).

Sources

  • Conrad, David C. (2001). "Reconstructing Oral Tradition: Souleymane Kanté’s Approach to Writing Mande History". Mande Studies 3, 147–200.
  • Kaba, Diaka Laye (1992). "Souleymane Kanté: l’inventeur de l’alphabet N’ko". L’Educateur: Trimestriel Pédagogique des Enseignants de Guinée 11–12, 33
  • Kanté, Bourama (1996). "Souvenir de Kanté Souleymane". Somoya Sila: Journal Culturel de l'Association ICRA-N'KO 19.
  • Kanté, Souleymane (1961). "Alphabet de la langue N’ko: ‘N’ko sebesun’." In Méthode pratique d’écriture N’ko. Kankan, reprinted by Mamady Keita (1995), Siguiri.
  • Vydrine, Valentin, ed. (2001). "Lettres de Souleymane Kanté et Maurice Houis". Mande Studies 3, 133–146.
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