The destruction of an African library

Written, illustrated and designed by Zimbabwean graphic artist Saki Mafundikwa, Afrikan Alphabets: The Story of Writing in Africa includes the story of King Ibrahim Njoya who developed an alphabet called Shü-mom. He also compiled a calendar, maps, administrative records and legal codes, pharmacopœia and a 'Kama Sutra'.

"Not long after he had built a magnificent palace and built schools for his people, the French took control of Cameroon. Their power was threatened by his achievements. They destroyed the printing press that he [King Njoya] invented, destroyed his libraries, and burned many of the books he had written. The French soldiers threw Bamum sacred objects into the street. And finally, in 1931, they sent him into exile in the capital of Yaoundé where he died a broken man in 1933. Over the years, Njoya’s son and heir Seidou Njimoluh quietly worked to preserve his heritage."

(Afrikan Alphabets: The Story of Writing in Africa by Saki Mafundikwa p.83)