From BBC Online

Friday, 2 November, 2001, 13:57 GMT
Gambia acquires an alphabet


Mr Nimaga says he wants to be remembered for his alphabet

A Gambian businessman is so determined to see his countrymen speak their own
unique language, he has invented one.


Some people looked at my writings with scorn and thought I was engaged in an
idle work. But others saw me as a promising person

Kaa Bully Nimaga
It's called Soninke, and the language's inventor Kaa Bully Nimaga calls it
"my gift from God".

Mr Nimaga, director of the Nimaga African Arts Collection, said his
28-letter "Soni" alphabet forms the only exclusively Gambian language in
existence.

With no formal education of his own, Mr Nimaga plans to set up a school
where Gambians can learn the language for free.

"I want to ensure that I leave something behind before I die that will be
beneficial to the people," he was quoted as saying.

Gambia, one of Africa's smallest countries, is known for its tourism, and
many Gambians speak English. Widely spoken indigenous languages such as
Mandinka and Jolof are also spoken in neighbouring Senegal.

Childhood dream

His dream of inventing something useful has been with him since childhood,
but its creation has been a struggle.



He also runs a successful antique dealing business

"At the beginning, some people looked at my writings with scorn and thought
I was engaged in an idle work," he told the BBC's Network Africa.

"But others saw me as a promising person."

His business collecting and dealing in African antiques is successful and
takes the 43-year-old across Africa and the United States.

But it is the success of the Soni Alphabet that drives Mr Nimaga.

"I want to share with people my gift from God," he said.


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