Adlam alphabet
Alfabeto adlam
- Date
- c. 1989 · confidence medium
- Place
- Conakry, Guinea
- Credited to
- Ibrahima and Abdoulaye Barry
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
Two very young brothers, Ibrahima and Abdoulaye Barry, created an alphabet for writing Fula (Pular) that reads right to left. Its name is the acronym of Alkule Dandayɗe Leñol Fulɓe, 'the alphabet that protects the Fulbe peoples from disappearing'.
The exact date (1987-1990) and the place of creation in Guinea are approximate. It has spread in the diaspora more than in Guinea.
What it led to
- digital literacy for the Fulbe (Unicode 2016)
- spread through the Internet and mobile phones
- an example of a script created by young people