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E-book
Author Sarró, Ramon, author

Title Inventing an African alphabet : writing, art, and Kongo culture in the DRC / Ramon Sarró
Published Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press ; London : International African Institute, 2023
©2023

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Description 1 online resource (xvi, 199 pages) : illustrations, maps
Series International African library ; 69
International African library ; 69
Contents One. A Writing Lesson (In Luanda) -- N'kamba: The Road to Revelation -- Kinshasa: The Road to the University -- The Eagle and the Silk-Cotton Tree: My Road with Wabeladio -- The Road to the Alphabet: The basics of Mandombe -- On the Kongo Road: Writing and Entrapping Culture -- The Road to Art: The basics of Kimbanbula -- A Different Road: Reading Wabeladio's 'Method of Discovery' -- How to Make Words with Bricks: Some Final Thoughts on Creativity
Summary "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"-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on April 05, 2023)
Subject Wabeladio Payi, David, 1957-
Mandombe alphabet.
Kongo language -- Alphabet.
Kongo language -- Writing
Kongo (African people) -- Ethnic identity
Language and languages -- Alphabet
SUBJECT Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Languages -- Alphabet
Subject Congo (Democratic Republic)
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2022030722
ISBN 9781009199476
1009199471
9781009199445
1009199447
Other Titles Writing, art, and Kongo culture in the Democratic Republic of Congo