SACO Funnel Report from November 2020

AFRICANA SUBJECT FUNNEL REPORT 2020

Coordinator: Margaret W. Hughes

Submitted to: Cataloging Committee, Africana Librarians Council

November 17, 2020

This report covers the period from November 2019 to October 2020.  Since the last report, 6 new proposals and 3 change proposals were reviewed by funnel participants and submitted to the Library of Congress (DLC). The proposals originated with Margaret Hughes (Stanford), Joe Lauer (Michigan State), Marcia Tiede (Northwestern), Shoshanah Seidman (Northwestern) and Acquinatta Musonye (Nairobi Field Office).

NEW & REVISED HEADINGS

Albertine Graben (Congo and Uganda)  Arts, Djiboutian Authors, Djiboutian Egypt–Economic conditions–1882-1919  Fanakalo changed to: Fanakalo language Fang (West African people) changed to: Fang (African people) Ngungwel language Olukhayo (African people) changed to: Khayo (African people) Songs, Maxi

EDITORIAL DECISIONS MADE BY LC’s POLICY & STANDARDS DIVISION

Morocco—Politics and government—To 1961

The citation for the work being cataloged indicates that the work is about Moroccan politics and government during the protectorate period. Portions of Morocco were under two separate protectorates from the early 20th century until 1956. The subdivision –To 1961 would cover the period, but also include all of the centuries up to that point. The free-floating subdivision –Politics and government–20th century would be much more specific to the work being cataloged, which should be assigned Morocco—Politics and government—20th century. The proposal was not approved.

OTHER EDITORIAL DECISIONS MADE BY PSD

Horn of Africa

Scope note revised: Here are entered works on the easternmost projection of Africa consisting of Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Somalia, and sometimes also Eritrea, Kenya, and Sudan.

APPENDIX: NON-FUNNEL AFRICANA SUBJECT HEADINGS

Source: LCSH Approved Lists (November 2019-October 2020)

The submitting library’s MARC21 code appears after each entry

Cooking, Eastern African – IEN

Dra Abu el-Naga Site (Thebes, Egypt) – DLC

Emaswati – WaU

Ethiopia–History–1995- – DLC

Farquhar Islands (Seychelles) – DLC

Folk literature, Markweeta – DLC

Harkis in literature – DLC

Hut Tax War, Sierra Leone, 1898 – DLC

Jarabub (Libya)–History–Siege, 1940-1941 – IEN

Kabende (African people) – DLC

Lopit language – IEN

Mabná Majlis al-Shaʻb (Cairo, Egypt) – WaU

Markweeta language – DLC

Markweeta literature – DLC

Mpade language – IEN

NamibRand Nature Reserve (Namibia) – CSt

National characteristics, Tunisian, in literature – CLU

Niola Doa Site (Chad) – DLC

North African newspapers – WaU

Nyangbo language – IEN

Parc national Tsimanampesotse (Madagascar) – DLC

Pévé language – IEN

Philosophy, African–21st century – DLC

Proverbs, Soga – DLC

Quirimba Archipelago (Mozambique) – Uk

Riddles, Soga – DLC

Samia (African people) – DLC

Sudan–History–Conquest, 1896-1899 – DLC

Tellem (African people) – DSI

Advertisement

The beginnings of a Wikipedia in Bété

I asked Hermann Gnepa and Dodo Bai in Côte d’Ivoire if they would be interested in translating any articles from the French Wikipedia about the Bété language.  Dodo Bai, who was a student of the late Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, responded with the following article, handwritten in the script that Bouabré invented:

Bete Wikipedia Article

While more data needs to be gathered on the ways of using the Bété script, this can help start to serve as a point of reference, alongside other materials collected, for developing a full encoding proposal.

In the meantime, a font encoded in the Private Use Area (PUA) of Unicode has been produced, and a sample of how it looks so far on the web may be found here:

https://ruphus.com/bete/syllabary.html

The above table has not met with full approval of Bété users however, so it should be regarded as a non-normative work in progress, demonstrating proof of concept of the encodability of the script.

Update (2/17/2023):  Here is an additonal article, split into two files, about the city of Daloa:

CONNAISSANCE GENERAL DE DALOA ET SA REGION

Continuation

List of languages of African materials cataloged at Yale, 2007-2012

Between 2007 and 2012, the African Collection at Yale processed over 5000 items in African languages, some from the backlog along with many incoming books.  These represented a little over 300 languages, accounting for about a fifth of the languages found on the continent.

We were fortunate to have the assistance of the Arcadia Fund and the leadership of Dorothy C. Woodson in pursuing this effort.

The list of languages represented, along with the quantities of materials cataloged and ISO 639-3 codes, can be found in the spreadsheet attached below.

AfricanLanguagesAtYaleCataloged2007_2012

Survey from the Non-Latin Materials Affinity Group of LD4P-2

There is a survey available from now until October 8, 2019, from the Non-Latin Materials Affinity Group of the Linked Data for Production-2 project.  The survey asks about procedures related to romanization and processing of materials in non-Latin scripts, including African scripts such as Ethiopic (or Ge’ez).  Please consider adding your thoughts to the collection of data from respondents.

https://umich.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0xmDmv1NgzCfBtP

The UDHR in Bété

From our colleague Bai Dodo in Zépréguhé, Côte d’Ivoire, we present a copy of the full text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, translated into the Bété language using the invented pictographic script of the late artist Frédéric Bruly Bouabré.  Enjoy!

BeteUDHR

Updated dictionary of Baga Tshi-Tem

From Fred Lamp, retired curator of African Art at the Yale University Art Gallery, we happily have a new version of an online Baga Tshi-Tem vocabulary to present.  This covers 3,000 words.  Please enjoy!

A.BAGA VOCABULARY final notated 2021 CR (updated 6/18/21; earlier version available on request)

SACO Funnel Report from November 2018

AFRICANA SUBJECT FUNNEL REPORT 2018

Coordinator: Margaret W. Hughes

Submitted to: CATALOGING COMMITTEE, AFRICANA LIBRARIANS COUNCIL

November 30, 2018

 

This report covers the period from Nov. 2017 to Oct. 2018.  Since the last report, 36 new proposals and 3 change proposals were reviewed by funnel participants and submitted to the Library of Congress (LC). The proposals originated with Margaret Hughes (Stanford), Joe Lauer (Michigan State), Chuck Riley (Yale), Laila Salibi-Cripe (Indiana), Shoshanah Seidman (Northwestern), and Marcia Tiede (Northwestern).

 

NEW & REVISED HEADINGS

 

Abushiri Revolt, Tanzania, 1888-1889  Angolan students Biali (African people)  Bukusu dialect -> Bukusu language Datooga language  Etche (African people)  Fa d’Ambu (African people) Folk literature, Tswapong Glio-Oubi (African people)  Gofa (African people) Gor language Hanga dialect (Kenya) -> Oluwanga language Herdé language Ifè language Ikoma-Nata-Isenye language  Ikwo (African people)  Kemedzung language  Kisa dialect -> Olushisa language Koorete (African people)   Kouya (African people) Laudatory poetry, Hausa Logo (African people)  Lutachoni language Mango language (Chad) Motion pictures, Berber  Naami language Nata (African people) Nata dialect Ndambomo (African people)  Ndambomo language Okpe (Urhobo people) Proverbs, Tunisian Ravanne Saba language Semba (Music)  Senhaja Berber language Somrai language Tswapong language Tswapong literature

 

EDITORIAL DECISIONS MADE BY LC’s POLICY & STANDARDS DIVISION

 

PROPOSALS TO BE RESUBMITTED

Sar language

This proposal was made to revise the existing heading Sara language. The proposal did not list a work being cataloged and also failed to disambiguate the proposed heading from other languages called Sar. The required revisions to the NTs of Sara language were not proposed, either.  Finally, this revision necessitates a revision to the classification schedules.  The proposal may be resubmitted. [October 15, 2018]

 

PROPOSALS REJECTED

 

Oluluyia languages; Logooli language 

Ethnologue lists Oluluyia as a macrolangauge of the Bantu language, and it appears that this proposal was made only to insert a level of hierarchy; there was no indication that there is a work about the Oluluyia languages being cataloged. The meeting considers the additional level of hierarchy to be unnecessary, considering the lack of a work needing the heading. The proposal for Oluluyia languages was not approved.

Nine additional proposals were made to change the BT Bantu languages on existing headings. That was the only change in the revision proposal for Logooli language, and that proposal was not approved. The other eight proposals included other revisions, and approved changes to those records are indicated on the approved list. [July 16, 2018]

 

OTHER EDITORIAL DECISIONS MADE BY PSD

 

Qualifiers in headings for individual Kurd, Arab, and Berber groups

In LCSH, the general policy is to qualify headings for individual ethnic groups by the adjective for the continent, region, or country of the group, followed by the word people (e.g., Aro (African people); Chrau (Vietnamese people)). Practice for Kurds, Arabs, and Berbers has been mixed, however, with some being qualified by ([Arab, Berber, Kurdish] tribe) and others by ([Arab, Berber, Kurdish] people). Going forward, all new headings of this type will be qualified according to the latter formulation.

Apis (Egyptian deity); Seth (Egyptian deity); Sobek (Egyptian deity) – CANCEL HEADINGS

These authority records have been deleted because the subject headings are covered by identical name headings

 

 

APPENDIX: NON-FUNNEL AFRICANA SUBJECT HEADINGS

Source: LCSH Approved Lists (Nov. 2017-Oct. 2018)

The submitting library’s MARC21 code appears after each entry.

 

Abāẓah family – DLC

Agaw (African people) – DLC

Āl ibn ʻĀshūr family – DLC

Amara West (Extinct city) – UkOxU

Amba language – DLC

Amour Mountains (Algeria) – CtY

Awori family – DLC

Āyt ʻAbd Allāh (Berber people) – DLC

Āyt Brāyīm (Berber tribe) – DLC

Bible stories, Lokele – IEN

Burj al-Qāhirah (Cairo, Egypt) – DLC

Chilwa, Lake, Watershed (Malawi) – IEN

Christianity–African influences – DLC

Chuos Mountains (Namibia) – DLC

Doornkop, Battle of, South Africa, 1900 – CtY

Dramatists, Burkinabe – IEN

Egypt–History–1981-2011 – DLC

Egypt–History–2011- – DLC

Egypt–History–Coup d’état, 2013 – DLC

Egypt–History–Fourth dynasty, ca. 2613-ca. 2494 B.C. – WaU

Egypt–History–Protests, 2011-2013 – DLC

Egypt–Politics and government–1981-2011 – DLC

Egypt–Politics and government–2011- – DLC

Essouk-Tadmekka (Extinct city) – IEN

Gashaka Gumti National Park (Nigeria) – DLC

Gharandal Group (Egypt) – WaU

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Ethiopia) – IEN

Hymns, Ewe – DLC

Idāwsmlāl (Berber people) – DLC

Īdāwzīkī (Berber tribe) – DLC

Kareem Formation (Egypt) – WaU

Kemeticism – ICU

Kroumirie Mountains (Tunisia and Algeria) – DLC

Maydān Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn (Cairo, Egypt) – WaU

Mograt Island (Sudan) – Uk

Mohale Dam (Lesotho) – IEN

Morocco–History–1956- – DLC

Munyikwa (African people) – DLC

Mutandawhe (Zimbabwe) – DLC

National characteristics, Congolese (Brazzaville) – IEN

Nhampasseré Cave (Guinea-Bissau) – Uk

Oluwande family – DLC

Post-apartheid era in mass media – DLC

Potberg Region – DLC

Proverbs, Ogba – IEN

Proverbs, Songhai – IEN

Qalʿat al-Jindī (Egypt) – Uk

Quifangondo, Battle of, Quifangondo, Luanda, Angola, 1975 – DLC

Riddles, Dagaare – IEN

Riddles, Wolof – IEN

Rudeis Formation (Egypt) – WaU

Ruruuli-Runyala language – DLC

Saʻdāb (Arab tribe) – DLC

Sandwich Bay (Namibia) – DLC

Short stories, Kinyarwanda – NjP

Sicily (Italy)–Civilization–Egyptian influences – DLC

Siliana River (Tunisia) – DLC

Silvermine Nature Reserve (South Africa) – DLC

Songs, Gogo – CaAE

Sudanese in mass media – DLC

Tamdoult (Extinct city) – DLC

Wadi al-Jarf Site (Egypt) – WaU

Women authors, Cameroonian – IEN

Recently digitized material from SOAS

As I was looking into Congolese languages recently, I came across some references to records of typescript material of Edwin William Smith from the 1930’s on the Efé language of the Ituri Forest.  I then checked with a colleague, Erich Kesse, who kindly went ahead and digitized and uploaded the material.  It may be of particular current relevance in light of the Ebola outbreak that is affecting the area–not to say that Efé is widely spoken, but considered study of the material may still be warranted.  Here is what Erich sent along:

Smith, Edwin William, 1876-1957
Efe (Mbuti): Chapters 8 – 16 of the Gospel of Mark in Efe (ca. 1936)
N.B. This appears to be Smith’s reference text for numbered references in other texts.
Typescript: https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00001137/

Efe (English) vocabulary (1936)
Typescript: https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00001133/00004/
Carbon copy: https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00001133/00003/

Efe (Mbuti): Grammar notes on verbs and tenses (ca. 1936)
Typescript: https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00001138/
A Tentative grammar of the Efe or Mbuti language (1938)
Typescript: https://digital.soas.ac.uk/AA00001136/

As a reminder, FAQ’s on Ebola in Congolese Kiswahili, Kinande, and Lese are also now available for the region:

Congolese Kiswahili:  https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxhdGhpbmtyYXxneDoxODYyMmQzNWFmNGY4OWM4

Kinande:  https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxhdGhpbmtyYXxneDo2MTBiMWQ2MWNkNzcwMWNj

Lese:  https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxhdGhpbmtyYXxneDpiNjk1MjRmOTExOGYxNmM

 

Notes on FESPACO

Forwarding from our colleague Atoma Batoma at the University of Illinois, who made a recent visit to Burkina Faso and now serves as chair of the Africana Librarians Council:

“The attached document contains a list of 973 films presented at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO), which takes place in the Burkina Faso’s capital city of Ouagadougou. It covers the entire production of the festival since its founding in 1969. This document was provided to me during an International Book Buying trip funded by the International and Area Studies library (IAS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

“I arrived in Ouagadougou on April 5, 2017, a month after the conclusion of the FESPACO 2017, the 25^th edition of the festival that had taken place from February 25^th through March 4^th. I met with several employees and Mr. Serge Kahoun, the curator of the film depository. After being given a tour of the premises of the Festival and the impressive storage facilities for housing several thousand reels, I sat down for an hour conversation with Mr. Kahoun. In his presentation of the history of the festival, he touched upon some important aspects: the role of FESPACO as a leading cultural event in Africa, the progressive increase in the number of the participants over the years, and the internationalization of the festival and its impact on the African film making ethics. At the same time, the festival organizers have had to implement increasingly heavier security measures, especially since Burkina Faso has been hit by a series of attacks by Islamist militants over the past few years.

“The 973 films listed in this document comprise short films, full-length films, documentaries, and TV series. They can be divided into two categories based on the perspective on the African reality they portray: the perspective that presents perceptions of Africa from within, that is, African self-perceptions, and the perspective that presents Africa from an external or critical standpoint.

“English and French are the two dominant languages of the Festival, but there is also a non-negligible number of films in African languages. As a principle, all the films in English are supposed to be systematically subtitled in French and vice versa, and the films in African languages subtitled either in English or French, but perhaps due to the increasing volume of submissions (1,000 in 2017), this principle has not always been followed.

“One of the problems that the Festival needs to solve is that of the accessibility of its films. FESPACO does not have a store that sells its productions, and there are no other distribution circuits. The only way to obtain FESPACO films is to order them directly from the film maker/directors. Fortunately, the list provided in this spreadsheet contains the film makers’ contact information (physical addresses, e-mail addresses, phone numbers, etc.).”

Link to a FAQ on Ebola in Congolese Kiswahili

As in 2014, the small company I co-founded, Athinkra, LLC, has coordinated the translation of a World Health Organization (WHO) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file, this time for a language spoken in North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  The translated FAQ may be found here:  https://tinyurl.com/ycxa4ras.

The translation was completed by Emmanuel Ndolimana at Athinkra’s request, with the permission of the WHO.  It may be freely distributed.  Please post any questions or comments you may have.