Through the analysis of thirty-seven diplomatic letters from Borno (North-Eastern Nigeria), dated from 1824 to 1918, this article sheds new light on the functioning of an administration serving a Muslim dynasty in the Sahel before colonization. Beyond the norms that characterize the writing of power in Borno, the graphic variations of letters reveal an administration at work, one that adapts its scriptural practices according to the recipient. The graphological analysis of the handwriting then makes it possible to identify a family of secretaries dating back to the 16th century, whose charge was independent of the palace revolutions. Descendants of the imam Aḥmad b. Furṭū (c. 1576), these secretaries ensured an extraordinary continuity of power writing practices in Borno until the early years of colonization.
Les lettres du pouvoir au Sahel islamique : marques, adaptations et pratiques des secrétaires des Kanemi (1823-1918)
Dewiere R
2019
Abstract
Through the analysis of thirty-seven diplomatic letters from Borno (North-Eastern Nigeria), dated from 1824 to 1918, this article sheds new light on the functioning of an administration serving a Muslim dynasty in the Sahel before colonization. Beyond the norms that characterize the writing of power in Borno, the graphic variations of letters reveal an administration at work, one that adapts its scriptural practices according to the recipient. The graphological analysis of the handwriting then makes it possible to identify a family of secretaries dating back to the 16th century, whose charge was independent of the palace revolutions. Descendants of the imam Aḥmad b. Furṭū (c. 1576), these secretaries ensured an extraordinary continuity of power writing practices in Borno until the early years of colonization.
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