The effort to bring Bakwé literacy to the Bakwé people is mainly focused on adults. They are the ones who are currently responsible for their families and communities. By their example they will show the next generation the importance of the written page. It has been shown that when the young learn to read and the parents remain illiterate, often society is disrupted and the old people are marginalized and not looked up to. This is also one reason why we focus on adults at first.

In the effort to help the Bakwé become literate more than just the Bible is needed. In the processes of developing a wide body of literature written in Bakwé we began by transcribing their folktales in the newly developed Bakwé alphabet. We have published over two-dozen of these over the years. We also publish booklets on health and first aid, as well as short stories written by budding young Bakwé authors. Below is a list of some of the books we have published to date:

Pedagogical Materials

• ‘Na ‘brea wiia -suku ‘n pa (Bakwé reading and writing primer)
• ‘Ba ji amä Bakυwi ‘kpιa (Reading program for those who read French)
• Bakυεwaklüüa -Pοοkυ (Bilingual Bakwé-French Dictionary)
• Pre-primer (for pre-literates)
• -Sukumasεa -Pοοkυ “Teacher’s Book” (Teacher’s guide for teaching the Bakwé Primer)
• A ‘kpιa -täsäkυ “Let’s learn to count”
• Pronunciation Guide
• Vocabulary for literacy teachers

 

Folktales

by DOWLO Némlin Gilbert of Touadji (Dεplεε dialect)

• Ana ‘brea ‘nänää No.1 (three folktales)
• Ana ‘brea ‘nänää No.2 (two folktales)
• -Wlajü Mlοο “The Four Brothers”
• ‘Titikυ bä -Gbυυ “Marriage is a problem”
• -Gbenigbe nyra ‘Tigbio “The Praying Mantus and the Hare”
• ‘Jüplöa dεrι bä ‘pifa, Tagböa dεrι bä ‘pifa (Wisdom)
• -Gabιοa ‘jü (A folktale about the village of Gabiadji)
• -Bιοjinyοο ‘doo -bε -Gbokuiinyυklο “The Rich Man and the Orphan”
• ‘A jre dεrε kä -gυ nyοο ma ‘jäa’, -bε οma mia ‘kuaa ‘bre -bε ‘οnyι jia? “Do you know why when someone dies, he doesn’t come back from the dead?”
• -Gälε -bε ‘Nιgbälε “Le Lizard and the Pigmy Hippo”
• Pamεεa -gba bäa’ ‘kpafëë? “Do you know why the Nile monitor has bands on its body?”
• -Tigbio, -Gleebubu -bε -Gbokueji “The Hare, the Cameleon and the Black Ant”

 

by DJAHI Kogné Michel of Djapadji (Nyragbi dialect)

• Ana ‘brea ‘nänä #1 (two folktales)
• ‘Kua nyra bätäa nyüü “The dead and the living”
• -Gbötümü ‘sοο, tagbü ‘sοο “The two friends and the two old men”

 

by GAGNIE Klé (of Doba), DJAHI Kogné Michel (of Djapadji), KLAAKE Wê (of Doba)

• Ana ‘brea ‘nänä #2 (three folktales)
• ‘Ŋlëgakpalë ‘sοο -bε -tigbio “The two old women and the hare”
• ‘A je dεrε kä -gυ -plëkatυ waaa’ ‘nie? “Do you know why the dragonfly loves the water?”
• -Tigbioa dυgbakpι “The hare’s honey”

 

by KLAAKE Wê of Doba (Nyragbi dialect)

• ‘A jre ‘sιrι -Tigbio nυa’ -Gbrea -gëjidεε? “Do you know how the hare was able to eat the python’s eggs?”

 

by DJAHI Kogné Michel of Djapadji (Nyragbi dialect)

• ‘Jagaa -Wlajυ -Tere “Tere, the brother of Jaga”
• Dεplεε kä -gυ nyοο ‘nyι -nyι kaklanyοο ‘kamadεε? “Why is the angry man never made chief?”
• -Tigbio nyra fati “The hare and the guinea fowl”
• -Jää dεrε kä -gυ -tυgbasie ma ‘nua’ dεεa wii ‘wli, -bε ‘ü fοa’ “Why the weaver birds fly away when they hear a sound”

 

by GAGNIE Klé of Doba (Nyragbi dialect)

• -Tigbio nyra -Pοnυ “The hare and the toad”

 

by PEKOU Souagnon Germain of Oupoyo

• -Asι sa nυ -fälι ji dεε le? “How did insanity come into the world?”
• -Jäsι -gυε nυa’ -fälιa ji dεε “How the chimpanzee came into the world”

 

by KLE Perez V. Francisco

• ‘A Jre ‘nyrιlι ‘ü ‘daraa’ ‘Napυ ‘ia -gbaa? “Do you know the meaning behind the name Napo?”

 

Short stories

by KLE Perez V. Francisco

• -Gbokuinyυklο -Jοnι “Joni the orphan” (with illustrations by KLE Julien of Djapadji)
• -Jaa -nyιa’ fanyοο kä “The inheritance without an hier”
• ‘Titiö: sιsιakυ, dοrυ, nyatεrι (A short story about a marriage)
• Tutua wii “The story of the barrel”

 

Health Booklets

• ‘Sιrι ‘ü -futoa’ ‘mlιsisikυ “How to treat diarrhea”
• ‘Sιrι ‘ü ‘paaa’ papladii -wöseri -gba “How to safely apply pesticides to plants”
• Nyepaa mlι -sööö “Nyepa has diarrhea”
• A ‘bata ‘jüa -gugukυ: nυgblagu “We want children: pregnancy” (from pregnancy to birth)
• A ‘bata ‘jüa -gugukυ: ‘ana ‘jυ ma mi -sι ‘sοο kä “We want children: the first two years” (from birth to two years old)
• -Wοtυa fugbafumö “Otto has malaria” (Pamphlet on Malaria)

 

Song Books

• ‘Ba ji amä Nyοsυa ‘klιbrεrε “Come let us sing to God” (Collection of 22 songs for the Harris Church)
• A ‘bυala Nyοsυaa ‘nyrι “Let us praise God’s name” (Collection of 20 Protestant songs)

 

General Cultural

by ‘NËMLΙ ‘DAGBATA (-Tuajü ‘Sοο), KLAKΙA WΕ (Doba), JAI -KΟΙN (‘Japaajü)

• ‘Nyrι, ‘ia bisienyrι nyra ‘ia -gbëë “Names, their nicknames and explanation”

by -JIPLΟ Nyιpa (-Tuajü ‘Sοο), -KPLΕKPLΙA -Gböοglee (‘Nyiti), -DΟWLΥ -Sroo (Nyυυ -pia ‘Jreeajü)

• -Jasι ‘ü dεtεa’ ‘digböwii (Funeral customs of the Bakwé)

by BI Jules of Touadji 1 (translated from newspaper articles out of Fraternité Matin, 19??, into Bakwé by C.T.A.B.)

• La fête du riz chez les bakoués “The rice festival among the Bakwé”
• Le mariage chez les bakoués» ANA ‘BI TITIÖ “Marriage among the Bakwé”
• De la grosesse de la femme bakoué à la naissance de l’enfant» «NΥGBLA NYRA -GOLU» “From the Bakwé woman’s pregnancy to the birth of a child”
• Les funérailles chez les bakoués “Funerals among the Bakwé”
• Le veuvage chez les bakoués» BAKΥΕA ‘BREA ‘KUSRO “Becoming a widow among the Bakwé”
• La sorcéllerie et ses conséquences chez les bakoués “Sorcery and its consequences among the Bakwé”

 

Newspaper (News-sheet)

• -Gogo (available in PDF format: Vols. Apr-99; Feb-99; Mar-01; Nov-00; Nov-02; Sep-99)

 

 

Bible Background booklets

• Juifënyüüa ‘klä “Customs of the Jews” (bilingual guide to Jewish life; illusrated)
• Bible study questions on the Gospel of Mark

Scripture

• Marëkë “Gospel of Mark”
• ‘Jaan “Gospel of John”
• Galaatë “Galatians”
• ‘Jaakë “James”
• 1, 2, 3 ‘Jaan “1st, 2nd, and 3rd John”

Unpublished Papers

by Csaba Tokpa Leidenfrost

• The Changing Economic Situation Among The Bakwé: The Bakwé economy and the role generosity has played in today’s economic crisis. (Touadji 2, May 1994)
• Mort et Funérailles chez les Bakwés “Death and Funerals among the Bakwé” (Touadji 2, 1996)
• Sorcery among the Bakwé (Touadji 2, 1996)
• Discourse Studies in Bakwé: preliminary notes on Bakwé discourse grammar (Bamako, 2006)