Sultan Njoya and the invention of the Bamum script

The seventeenth ruler of the Bamum kingdom, Sultan Njoya (reigned 1886-1933) had an original writing system, Shumom, created around 1896 to transcribe his language and administer his kingdom. Under German and then French administration, Njoya retained for a time considerable internal autonomy at Foumban, where he had a royal palace built.

Official sourceUNESCO – General History of AfricaPublished 1 Jan 1985Verified 4 Sept 2026
Era
German Kamerun

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No person recorded for this event.