{"product_id":"inventing-an-african-alphabet-writing-art-and-kongo-culture-in-the-drc-paperback-softback-9781009199483","title":"Inventing an African Alphabet; Writing, Art, and Kongo Culture in the DRC (Paperback \/ softback) 9781009199483","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eInventing an African Alphabet\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eWriting, Art, and Kongo Culture in the DRC\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCombines biography, art, and religion to explore Kongo identity and culture, and the relationship between innovation and revelation.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eRamon Sarró (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781009199483, Cambridge University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 19 September 2024\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e220 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.2 cm, 0.303 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e'A multifaceted exploration of Kimbanguism, Kongo culture and expressions of identity, Sarro examines Wabeladio Payi's system of writing to explore human creativity and epistemology in a religious register. The evocative descriptions and lyrical prose that centre the enquiry around the relationship between Payi and Sarro make this an unusual and beautiful study.' Emma Wild-Wood, University of Edinburgh\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eIn 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.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eList of figures\u003cbr\u003e List of maps\u003cbr\u003e List of Glyphs\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e Part I. Introduction: 1. A writing lesson (in Luanda)\u003cbr\u003e Part II. Biography: 2. N'kamba: the road to revelation\u003cbr\u003e 3. Kinshasa: the road to the university\u003cbr\u003e 4. The eagle and the silk-cotton tree: my road with Wabeladio\u003cbr\u003e Part III. Writing, Art, and Kongo Culture: 5. The road to the alphabet: the basics of Mandombe\u003cbr\u003e 6. On the Kongo road writing and entrapping culture\u003cbr\u003e 7. The road to art: the basics of Kimbanbula\u003cbr\u003e 8. A different road: reading Wabeladio's 'Method of Discovery'\u003cbr\u003e Part IV. Discussion: 9. How to make words with bricks: some final thoughts on creativity\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Social \u0026amp; cultural anthropology, ethnography [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Social \u0026amp; cultural anthropology, ethnography\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Social%20\u0026amp;%20cultural%20anthropology,%20ethnography%20%5BJHMC%5D%22\"\u003eJHMC\u003c\/a\u003e], Society \u0026amp; culture: general [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Society \u0026amp; culture: general\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Society%20\u0026amp;%20culture:%20general%20%5BJF%5D%22\"\u003eJF\u003c\/a\u003e], African history [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on African history\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22African%20history%20%5BHBJH%5D%22\"\u003eHBJH\u003c\/a\u003e], Writing systems, alphabets [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Writing systems, alphabets\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Writing%20systems,%20alphabets%20%5BCFLA%5D%22\"\u003eCFLA\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52501371420952,"sku":"9781009199483","price":25.76,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/files\/9781009199483i.jpg?v=1786234209","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/inventing-an-african-alphabet-writing-art-and-kongo-culture-in-the-drc-paperback-softback-9781009199483","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}