The Language They Could Not Erase

Oral tradition is perhaps the oldest medium through which it is possible for a society to transmit history, literature, law and other knowledge across generations without or in parallel to a writing system. It is a well known fact that oral tradition and oral lore has been used all over the world to preserve cultural material and knowledge, and that this method was predominantly used in Ancient Africa. However it is a little known fact that communication in Ancient Africa was not exclusively oral. Apart from the obvious Nile-Valley (Ancient Egyptian and Nubian) scripts at the beginning of civilization, West Africa had Vai and Nsibidi. In East Africa, Ethiopia (the only African country to escape colonization) for thousands of years has used, and still uses Ge’ez based script everyday and everywhere. And in the North of Africa, Tifinaɣ (a Berber script) is used by some Berber peoples, notably the Tuareg, to write their languages. A modern derivative of the traditional script, known as Neo-Tifinagh, was introduced in the 20th century. Despite limited usage it often serves to assert a Berber identity politically and symbolically, as distinct from an Arabized identity. We can speculate that just as many african cultures, history and practices have been forgotten, and some violently wiped out, so also other forms of african script have been lost.

But why is all this important? Why have written languages in Africa been almost completely suppressed and why has the knowledge of Ancient African scripts been carefully erased?

Oral traditions have traditionally been considered unsophisticated and totally ridiculed because it relies greatly on the usage of memory, storytelling and other communal traditions. Though these communal traditions have some critical developmental potential, very few large nations have risen without having to rely on scripts. Writing allows bureaucracies, which allows complex centralized political administrations, economic exchange, advanced scholarship, accurate history keeping, quick transmission of information for war and navigation, record keeping, a repository of traditions can be recorded for eternity with it. The range at which this information travels, and the frequency in which it can be reproduced is limitless compared with the oral societies.

A script is not only a technology for writing the spoken word, It is also a cultural symbol of a people and their identity. The mere sign of Arabic script carries the power of Islam and the Arab/Muslim people. Every time we see Amharic written we see the might of Ethiopian culture. A script is powerful political symbol used all over the world to show national identity. It is not accidental, or novelty that Hebrew was reinstated, from obsoleteness, when Israel was created in 1948. Not only was Hebrew a fully functional part of unifying Jews, it was also a political symbol of their claim of a connection to Ancient Israel.

One of the challenges with African languages is that with the arrival of both modernity and the colonial languages, the natural inventory system within the languages died. English scripts were used to transcribe local tongues, and new words came from the colonial source, as opposed to the languages own ability to invent new words for this new rapidly changing modern world. In many parts of the world, before literacy became widespread and education became a right, the knowledge of scripts were restricted to a special class of high ranking individuals in society who carried out the task of historians, often alongside other spiritual and jurisdictory roles. However, religions such as christianity and islam employ oral tradition alongside writing to transmit their canonical scriptures. And as we mentioned in the last blogpost, the infiltration of missionaries created a great shift in the perception and interests of the indigenes in their local cultures through methods of subversion and demonization. Over time more people were naturally interested in learning english to read the Bible than learning their local script which had been fetishized by an association with local spiritual practices. There are many gaps to be filled in order to recover that which was stolen from our collective futures during colonialism. But we can start by taking a closer look at our history, and by remembering who we are.

Nsibidi, also known as Nsibiri, Nchibiddy or Nchibiddi, is a language that includes a system of symbols that combines logography and ideagraphy. Although its origin is not known, the word itself is said to mean ‘cruel letters’ from the Ekoi. It was used by members of the Ekpe Leopard secret society, who controlled the arms of government. The Ekpe society, also known as Ngbe or Egbo started among the Ejagham people of Cross River state before spreading across to Ibibios, Efiks and Igbos. Nsibidi was unifying language that cut across different ethnic groups in Cross River.

Nsibidi has been found etched on excavated pottery, ceramics, artefacts between 400 to 1400 CE in Calabar, Cross River. It also appeared on walls, buildings, calabashes, swords, brassware, masquerade costumes, wood and bronze carvings, human skin and tattoos and textiles.

Nsibidi was used in judgement cases known as ‘Ikpe’ in some communities of Cross River state. It was also used to design Ukara Ekpe materials, woven in Abakaliki. Ukara was seen as symbol of wealth, only titled men and women past menopause could wear it. The symbols on it included lovers, trees, feathers, moon, stars, manilla currency to represent the wealth and powerful animals like Leopards and Crocodiles.

Nsibidi travelled to Cuba and Haiti through the Transatlantic slave trade, where it evolved into the anaforuana and veve symbols. In 1909, J. K Macgregor, historian and Reverend, collected and studied Nsibidi symbols, claimed that the language was originally came from baboons who taught the Uguakima, Ebe, Uyanga tribes of the Igbo people. This theory was later discarded. During the colonial era, P. A. Tablot described it as “a kind of primitive secret writing”, he explained that Nsibidi was used for messages “cut or painted on split palm stems” while Macgregor maintained that Nsibidi was used for “ordinary writing”.

At JuJu we understand that to know your past is to own your future, so we strive to strengthen our connections to our roots. Thus we have incorporated Nsibidi symbols in our products as gentle but powerful reminders of our heritage.

1. Nsibidi totes — Black denim totes with Nsibidi symbols printed on it, and blue denim totes with Nsibidi symbols hand painted with love.

2. Nsibidi envelopes — we encase sold merch in these envelopes etched with Nsibidi symbols to remind our customers they are affluent.

3. Nsibidi face caps — Black and Burgundy protective head gear with the symbol for “Energy” imprinted on it.

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