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Forces For Change

LITERACY

The promise of literacy is what made Christianity very attractive to many people. Most of sub-Saharan Africa had no form of writing until the arrival of Europeans.

There were however a number of different scripts in the north of the continent. Ethiopia developed its own script for religious purposes in the 5th century.

Arabic script came to sub-Saharan Africa some time in the 11th century. Nobody knows the origin of the Vey script which was used on the border of Sierra Leone and Liberia. It was translated in the late 19th century by a member of the Church Missionary Society.

SACRED WORDS IN NIGERIAN PIDGIN ENGLISH

"For de first time, noting been be - only de Lawd He be. An' de Lawd, He done go work hard for make dis ting dey call um Earth.

For six days de lawd He work an He done make all ting - everyting He go put for Earth. Plenty beef, plenty cassava, plenty banana, plenty yam, plenty guinea-corn, plenty mango, plenty groundnut - everyting.

An for de wata He put plenty fish, an for de air, He put plenty kinda bird. An' after six days de Lawd He done go sleep an' when He sleep, plenty palaver start for dis place day call 'um Heaven."

From The Book of Genesis in Pidgin English. Quoted by H. W. Bolden in The Times, London, October 2001.