Jessy Carlisle 
Waraba ka sanu bɛɛlajɛni 
Mansa Musa ka Tariku

Of all the kings the world has ever known, none was ever so rich as Mansa Musa. But what else did the Lion of Mali do for his empire?

The Bambara language is spoken in Mali and several bordering countries, with the West African N’ko script being of greater popularity in the south of the country, as well as in Guinea and the Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire).

This book aims to help Bambara speaking children learn the West African N’ko script. It does this by providing the text in N’ko along with the Latin script of Bambara, which is currently the only script taught at most schools in Mali.

Migrants can connect their children with their heritage by reading this book to them regardless of which script they understand best.

The additional material (e.g. questions) at the back of the book is provided in French because that was the official language of Mali until January 2022. Consequently, it could be of some use to teachers even if they themselves speak do not speak Bambara.

#343B in the Bilingual Legends series. This book is presented in Bambara, in both the Latin and N’ko scripts.

Additional Credits:

Translators: Ousmane Traoré & Oumou Doumbia

Translation Editors: Ousmane Traoré & Lamine Konate

N’ko Transcriber: Oumar N’Ko

About the author