Bamum font
Encyclopedia
A Bamum font is currently being worked on by the Bamum Scripts and Archives Project
to allow printing in the unique script of the Bamum language
of Cameroon
. In 2006, the Bamum Scripts and Archives Project embarked on a project to create the first usable Bamum computer font. In order to do this, the Project examined hundreds of important documents transcribed in the current and most widely employed variant of the Bamum script: A-ka-u-ku (after its first four characters). The goal of the project team was to identify the most prominent forms of the various Bamum characters, as there have been many different styles employed by literates over the years. In particular, the Project examined documents in the script known to have been written by the three most famous Bamum script literates: King Njoya and his colleagues, Nji Mama and Njoya Ibrahimou (younger brother of Nji Mama, also a well known Bamum artist).
Bamum Scripts and Archives Project
Bamum Scripts and Archives Project at the Bamum Palace is engaged in a variety of initiatives concerning the Bamum script, including collecting and photographing threatened documents, translating and in some cases hand-copying documents, creating a fully usable Bamum computer font for the inventory...
to allow printing in the unique script of the Bamum language
Bamum language
Bamum , or in its French spelling Bamoun, is one of the Benue–Congo languages of Cameroon, with approximately a quarter million speakers. The language is well-known for its original script developed by King Njoya and his palace circle around 1895...
of Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
. In 2006, the Bamum Scripts and Archives Project embarked on a project to create the first usable Bamum computer font. In order to do this, the Project examined hundreds of important documents transcribed in the current and most widely employed variant of the Bamum script: A-ka-u-ku (after its first four characters). The goal of the project team was to identify the most prominent forms of the various Bamum characters, as there have been many different styles employed by literates over the years. In particular, the Project examined documents in the script known to have been written by the three most famous Bamum script literates: King Njoya and his colleagues, Nji Mama and Njoya Ibrahimou (younger brother of Nji Mama, also a well known Bamum artist).