ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Writing systems of Africa

Writing systems in Africa are ways of writing languages so that they can be read and understood. Imagine you have a secret code that you write down on paper to keep your secrets safe. It's kind of like that, but instead of just one person knowing the code, lots of people can read and write in it.

Now, different areas of Africa use different writing systems. For example, in Egypt they used hieroglyphics a long, long time ago (before you were even born!). Hieroglyphics were pictures that represented words or ideas. So if they wanted to write the word for "cat," they would draw a picture of a cat.

But hieroglyphics are not used anymore. Nowadays, most African languages use the Latin alphabet. You know, the one you're learning in school! The Latin alphabet has 26 letters, and it's used in many countries all over the world, including Africa.

But some African languages use different writing systems, like the Arabic alphabet. This is a writing system used by some African countries that have a lot of Arabic-speaking people.

So there are many different ways to write languages in Africa, and it can be really interesting to learn about all of them!