Introduction to African Latin Supplement _{Build 0.9}

In Africa, where thousands of spoken languages exist, illiteracy remains widespread, and colonial languages like English and French dominate both education and digital spaces. Typography, as the medium through which written language is designed and transmitted, plays a central role in ensuring linguistic representation. While global type design has expanded in recent years, African orthographies continue to be underserved, with limited font options and minimal localisation available across digital platforms.

The African Latin Supplement compiles a list of 1,416 Latin characters, identifying more than 130 as unique to native African languages. Currently, 2,645 known African languages are catalogued, of which 226 have been identified as using Latin script as one of their writing systems. Each of these languages has then been mapped geographically to 54 African countries. Characters, languages, countries, and their interconnections are organised into a single database. This tool automatically generates the required character map, allowing users—writers, publishers, software developers, and type designers—to copy-paste directly into other software.

We aim to maintain the platform's language list and character set over time and keep it up-to-date when new research and data become available or supported. Please contact us at studio@publicletters.co for feedback or suggestions.

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Daniel & Eino
Public Letters