Soninke Ajami Manuscripts and Islamic Education: A Reconstruction of Scribal Practices

Evidence

"According to my informants, in the Soninke majlis the books had to be copied by hand; sometimes, the labour of copying was done by more advanced students (S. táalíbè xírísè) for the beginners (S. nàabáxà)."

Remarks

Scribal practices in the Soninke educational system (majlis) traditionally mandated that manuscripts be hand-copied (p. 16). The physical labor of ink application was frequently shared, with advanced students (táalíbè xírísè) producing copies for beginners (nàabáxà) (p. 16). This labor-intensive process resulted in the creation of 'Type 3' manuscripts, characterized by systematic translation glosses (p. 11). The use of the Arabic script to write the Soninke language is identified as a long-standing historical tradition (p. 11).