Categories

ALMA Authors

ALMA Authors and E-Books


Here is the list of authors who have contributed to the ALMA website. You can access their works via the links below.

This part of the ALMA website is divided into sections according to the writing system used to express the literature. Here you will find the following three sections:

  1. African Language Literature in Latin-based Orthographies
  2. African Language Literature in Ajami Script
  3. African Language Literature in Indigenous Scripts

1. African Language Literature in Latin-based Orthographies










Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso Language: Fulfulde
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
Hamadun Amadu DIKKO & Sek Ali SISE 2003 Dame Capanɗe Jeegom (60) Jeyaaɗe e Dame Baraaje e Heefugol Goofi. Koweit: L’Agence des Musulmans d’Afrique
Issa DIALLO 2003 Ndeera
Taali men Burkina
Ɓantaare 15
Ɓantaare 18
Ɓantaare 19
Burkina Faso Language: Jula
Mamadou Lamine SANOGO 1999 Toro Kɔrɔ
Burkina Faso Language: Moore
2003 Soalma
Alain-Joseph SISSAO 2003 Wa ti-d Solme
Alisette SAWADOGO & Alain-Joseph SISSAO 2003 Gom-pagd wàgsgo
Halidou OUEDREAOGO 2003 1997. La-y zem-zem pipi sebre, Soaba II.
Henriette ILBOUDO 2003 Pagb koeese
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Cape Verde
Cape Verdean Language: Kriolu
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
2003 Kuza-ma-kuza?
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Ethiopia
Ethiopian Language: Amharic
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
2019 Amharic novel writer Desta reads from his works (video)
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The Gambia
Gambian Language: Mandinka
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
Suso BAMBA & Fatumata SIDIBE 2000 Sunjata
Kitabu JABAN, W.H.O. 2000 Jiidoo sotoo jaatikendeyaa kono
N nin kuuranolu be laa la ñoo ye ñaamen
Marlies LÜCK & Ami FOFANA 2000 N nin Eeds jankaroo, tarañaa jamaa kono
Faa kuu bee lonnaa
Suluu buka a jikoo baayi 1
Non-Formal Education Services 2000 Dontoroo ñinino safeeñaa
W.E.C. International 2000 Ñoo seyaa safeeroo
Suluu buka a jikoo baayi 1
Suluu buka a jikoo baayi 2
Suluu buka a jikoo baayi 3
Gambian Language: Wolof
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies 2000 Celebrating 50 years of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights with illustrations (1948-1998)
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Guinea
Guinean Language: Mandinka
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
Noumoukè KEÏTA 2007 2007. Dennu la Kɔji. Mamou: Radio Rurale de Mamou.
Guinean Language: Pular
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
2003 Gimɗi Ngurndan e tama’u
Thierno Mouhamadou Khayra DIALLO 2007 2007. Yewtere e Hoore Jannde Q’uraane on ka Diina Islam e Haala Pular. Mamou: Radio Rurale de Mamou.
2003 Fii Honɗun?
2003 Pellun Gondhi
Guinean Language: Susu
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
Ahmadou SYLLA andKandet Oumar TOURÉ 2007 2007. Namunyi nun Futi. Mamou: Radio Rurale de Mamou.
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Mali
Malian Language: Bamanankan
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
Musa DIABY 2003 Ngɔninkɔrɔ Bama
2003 Bamanankan Daɲɛgafe.
2003 Bamanankan: Mabɛn kura
2003 Nsiirinw! Nsanaw! Ntɛnntɛnw!
2003 Nafarima
Malian Language: Fulfulde
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
2003 Kabaaru Hawjagol Daabaaji ley Maasina Ofisi Niiseer
SIDA: Kelu-cuudi!
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Niger
Nigerien Language: Hausa
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
Gandozi Mounkaila HAMADOU 2004 2002. Na gaske
2002. In an girma a san an girma
2004 2004. Kaico Arjin! (Poor Niger, bilingual) ISBN 99919-43-53-6. Niamey: Editions Albasa.
2006 Fasalta Harsuna (Taƙaitacciyar Gabatarwa).
2004 2004. Tarihin Nijar. Niamey: GTZ-2PEB.
David WESTLEY 2012 Tatsuniyoyin Hausawa na Kano. Mother Tongue Editions: West Newbury, MA. USA
Zouera YACOUBA 2004 2004. Amfanin yaƙi da jahilci. Niamey: CFCA.
Nigerien Language: Zarma
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
2004 1994. Bi Bayray Sasaba Suba Suuji no
1994. Boro si nyunay ga ne ni fundo si tay
Gandozi Mounkaila HAMADOU 2004 2002. Wayyaa
2002. Tondobon
2002. Hondiya
Seydou Hanafiou HAMIDOU 2004 2004. Bana
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Nigeria
Nigerian Language: Igbo
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
2007 2007 Ndezu Utoasusu Igbo (515 pages)
2016 Nsirinweta Ilu Igbo (340 pages)
2002 Ihe Nwata Huru (214 pages)
2001 Ugonna (120 pages)
2020 Ihe E Mere Nwata (135 pages)
1996 Ihe Onye Meter (194 pages)
2014 Kedụ Emeka (241 pages)
2009 Mmiri Eriela M (62 pages)
2014 Ọ ọ Ejike (188 pages)
2009 Aha M Bụ Nọnso (32 pages)
Nigerian Language: Kanuri
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
John HUTCHISON Introduction to the Kanuri Language
Shettima Bukar ABBA &
Tijani El-MISKIN
Kanuri Folktales and Texts by Shettima Bukar Abba and Tijani El-Miskin
Unknown storyteller
Collected by John HUTCHISON &
Norbert CYFFER
Folktales and Riddles in the Mowar Dialect of Kanuri from Gashagar
Waziri Kashim ALKALI Herranzania
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Senegal
Senegalese Language: Pulaar
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
Associates in Research and Education for Development (ARED) 2000 Piindi ganndal: tiidtinirde taro, binndande taro, ekkorde celluka
Mamadou Oumar BAH 2000 Towoobe tiba bamdat
C.A.E.F. 2000 Deftere heblo kismal golle rewle jowtiide e faggudu
Samba COULIBALY 2000 Tinndi: fowru e bojel, fowru e mbeewa
Yamal Fatimata Boobo Lobbo
Mountaga DIAGNE 2000 Ngulloori
Yéro Doro DIALLO 2000 Dewle Fulɓe
Gary ENGELBERG & Sidy Lamine DRAME 2000 SIDA cadeele renndo men!
Thierno Seydou SALL 2000 Gaale kangaado
Dikko Hamadun AMADU & Cheikh Ali SIISE 2000 Dame capande jeegom (60) jeyaade e dame baraaje e heefugol goofi
Coumba SY 2000 Taariiki jibineede isaa
Sekou Mohamed Abdoul OUAHABOU 2000 Layliiji Tati “3” e nder ngootummbaaku Alla
Senegalese Language: Wolof
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
Centre Africain de l’Entrepreneuriat Féminin 2000 Téereb njàngum yorinu yëñgatu ci wàllu kom-kom ñeel jigéen ñi
Hugh HAWES 2000 Jëyyë yi. Dakar: EDICEF.
Amadou MBENGUE 2000 Njàng: ñareelu at
Yvon MOREN 2000 Bukkeek “perigam” bu xong: teeñ yi
Feyyeekug Lëg-Seen: sellug teen yi
Lëg-seen buddikatu bën: gëñ yi
Màggatum Buur beek coro lu ndaw li: dundub liir yi
Thierno Seydou SALL 2000 Puukare
Suuxat
Xol yu fees: taalifi jigéeni kaw gi
Pathé SOW 2000 Démbi Senegaal: ci làmmeñu Wolof
Maam Daawour OUADE 2000 Léebi wolof [excerpts]. Dakar: A.C.I.
David WERNER 2000 Wasin, palaanin familiyaal, sidaa, ak cuugri (kolera)
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2. African Language Literature in Ajami Script

Ajami (‘ajamī or a’jami) comes from the Arabic word for non-Arab, or foreigner. It also refers to the practice of writing other languages using a modified Arabic script. Although written records are rarely regarded as part of sub-Saharan Africa’s intellectual heritage, important bodies of Ajami literature have existed in Oromo, Somali, Tigrigna, Kiswahili, Amharic, and Malagasy in East Africa, and Bamanakan, Mandinka, Kanuri, Yoruba, Berber, Hausa, Wolof, and Fulfulde in West Africa for centuries. In South Africa, the first written record of Afrikaans was produced in Ajami by Muslim Malay slaves (Pah 2008, 2). Ajami developed in communities with a long history of practicing Islam, and who sought to adapt the Arabic alphabet to their own tongues, first for religious purposes such as prayers, writing magical protective devices, and disseminating religious materials and edicts, and later for secular functions such as commercial and administrative record-keeping, writing eulogies and family genealogies, recording important events such as births, deaths and weddings, and writing biographies, poetry, political satires, advertisements, road signs, public announcements, speeches and personal correspondence. There are also Ajami documents describing traditional treatment of various illnesses, the properties of plants and ways of using them and occult sciences; translations of works from Arabic into African languages; and texts on administrative and diplomatic matters (correspondence between Sultans and provincial rulers), Islamic jurisprudence, behavioral codes, and grammar (Hassane 2008, 115-17).

Read entire introduction (pdf)

2.1. Wolofal ajami documents in the Wolof language of Senegal.

All of the following documents of Wolofal ajami (in the Wolof language) have been contributed by Prof. Fallou Ngom of Boston University. Fallou Ngom’s current research interests lie in (1) the interactions between African languages and cultures and non-African languages and cultures, and (2) African primary sources written in non-Latin scripts, especially Ajami (African languages written with the modified Arabic script). His primary goal is to study these sources, from a multidisciplinary perspective, to uncover the insights they hold and to ensure that they are no longer treated as insignificant footnotes, but rather as major sources of local African knowledge. The Wolofal literature that is presented here is representative of ajami documents written in the Wolof language of Senegal, and is particularly related to the Murid practice of Islam in Senegal. Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba (1853-1927) was the founder of the Muridiyya Sufi movement of Senegal, West Africa. He was an eminent Sufi Master. He has millions of followers scattered around the world today. For his followers, his life was a testimony to his commitment to the essence of Islam: fostering righteous living, social wellbeing and spiritual enlightenment for all people. His life was exemplary in that his only ideal was to serve humanity by offering an understanding of Islam that addressed the diverse needs and challenges of people using the Prophetic as a role model. Much of the Wolofal ajami literature is related to the Muridiyya movement and dedicated to the life, ordeals, and poignant lived story and the nonviolence teachings of Shaykh Ahmadou Bamba.

African Language Literature in Ajami Script
Wolofal: Wolof language Ajami script literature of Senegal
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
Murid Documents Donated by Fallou Ngom
Fallou Ngom interviewing leading Murid scholar
Fallou Ngom interviewing Serigne Mbaye Nguirane (in white), a leading Murid scholar, in Diourbel, Senegal, with Birane Gassama, Ngom’s assistant, and Mor Thiobane, another local scholar.
Fallou Ngom shopping for Ajami materials Fallou Ngom with colleagues shopping for Ajami materials during the Màggal or yearly commemoration of Bamba’s deportation to Gabon in 1895.

Click on images for larger versions.

  1. This is a newsletter published in the 1980s in Touba by the Organization of the Murid Students of Senegal at the time of the celebration of their Culture Week. (pdf)
  2. This is a slightly smaller newsletter like the one cited in 1 above. It is an excerpt from a Murid Ajami newsletter produced during the 1980s. (pdf)
  3. This small tattered book begins with a preamble introducing its purpose, which is to provide a Wolofal ajami guide to how to pray properly according to Islam. It advises the reader as to how to undo any errors that have been made in carrying out one’s prayers. There is a complete explanation of how to carry out one’s ablution, which includes also actions that would annul the value of having carried out the ablution, such as breaking wind. It explains the proper cultural environment for praying, its obligatory nature, and the role and place of prayer. (pdf)
  4. This short one page document advises adults on how to help a child to be intelligent. It is a flyer that was handed out to people to educate them on how to guide and advise their children. It treats questions of cleanliness, advice on when and how long a child needs to rest, how to protect a child, and when and how long to allow a child to speak. The key concepts are presented in the boxes. (pdf)
  5. This small book is dedicated to the memory of Serigne Fallou Mbake. It includes songs dedicated to him, rhymes that honor his memory, and other items from the Murid tradition that serve to eulogize Serign Fallou Mbake and to honor his memory. (pdf)
  6. This small book was published by Maam Góor Njaay during the 1990s, and it bears the title: The Response to the Enemies of Islam. This is written in defense of the life and accomplishments of the founder of Muridiyya, Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba who lived from 1853 to 1927, providing material that can be used to argue against those who are enemies of Bamba. (pdf)
  7. A tribute to mothers and to women, this document constitutes a celebration of the life of Maam Diarra, mother of Sheikh Ahmadou Bamba. For practitioners of Muridiyya, she constitutes the embodiment of the ideal Murid woman who is a role model for other women to imitate. She is lauded for having worked very hard, and for having had a great son. This is a reflection of what may have been a pre-Islamic Wolof tradition according to which the mother is given more credit than the father for the success of their child. In traditional Wolof society, Wolof men and their sons do not normally argue with the woman of the house to whom significant honor and authority are ceded. (pdf)
  8. This book entitled Bàkk wi deals with traditional wrestling competition. It presents all of the songs that are used to encourage, prepare and motivate the wrestlers as they prepare for their match. The book is dedicated to Serigne Fallou Mbake and it highlights the virtues of his life and accomplishments. Wrestlers (understood here as practicing disciples of the Murid practices) are thereby advised to emulate the virtues that characterized Serigne Fallou Mbake. (pdf)
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African Language Literature in Ajami Script
Wolofal: Wolof language Ajami script literature of Senegal
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
2010 Jaar-jaari-Boroom Tuubaa
Annotated translation by Fallou Ngom
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3. African Language Literature in Indigenous Scripts

Presentation of two indigenous West African scripts: N’Ko (especially for the Mande Languages) and Tifinagh (for the Tamasheq Language of the Tuareg) (pdf) by Prof. John P. Hutchison.

This Power Point document was presented during an ASA Panel chaired by Prof. John Mugane of Harvard University. It is an introduction to the N’Ko and the Tifinagh scripts, with a comparison of them to the ajami script based on Arabic script but also used to write a variety of West African languages. The three scripts are compared with regard to a number of criteria.

Moroccan Tifinagh Script

Tifinagh Morocco

Association for the Promotion of Tifinaghs Script, Republic of Niger

Tifinagh Niger

African Language Literature in Indigenous Scripts
The Tameshek language in Tifinagh Script
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
2004 2004. Amanar (newspaper). No. 1. Niamey.
Amanar, (pdf) no. 2, April, 2004
This is edition no. 2 of the Amanar newspaper published in April, 2004 by the Association pour la Promotion des Tifinagh. It includes an article on Tamajaq tales, riddles and stories, an article about the students of Azel, some games, and at the end it shows a table of all of the characters of the Tifinagh script with latin script correspondances.
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N'Ko Script

Click to see a larger version of this chart

African Language Literature in N’Ko Script
Mali
author(s) ALMA title of work(s) and ebooks link
Se ni a Nafaw
Koto Kololo
Sidjantigui Terena KONATE Bagen Sira
Buru ladanya
Devoir de mémoire, devoir de vérité
La première guerre mondiale de 1914-1918
Soninkekan [The Soninke Language]
Amadou Seydou TRAORE
Translated into N’Ko by Ousemane Coulibaly
Mali ni Gine: Fadi kelen kono Jofo fila
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