Issa Diante’s archives consist of nine collections, including seven bilingual Arabic-Mandinka Ajami collections, one bilingual Arabic-Wolof collection, and one collection of classical Arabic texts. The materials deal with an array of religious and non-religious subjects. The documents reflect the dual literacy tradition in Arabic and Ajami that is common among scholars in Muslim Africa. Classical Arabic knowledge alone is not sufficient to make sense of many of the documents in their collections. Dual literacy in classical Arabic and the local Ajami tradition is necessary in order to decipher the contents of many of the documents in these archives.
Extent and format of original material: 9 files.
Additional language information: Mandinka Ajami.
Additional script information: Mandinka Ajami.
