Who Are the Bassa?
The Bassa (Basa) are a Kru ethnic group of central Liberia and Cameroon (where a separate Basaa people live), with the Liberian Bassa numbering approximately 400,000-500,000. They speak Bassa, a Kru language of the Niger-Congo family. In Liberia, the Bassa inhabit Grand Bassa, River Cess, and Margibi counties along the central coast and inland areas. Like other Kru peoples, the Bassa historically worked as maritime laborers. Distinctively, the Bassa developed their own indigenous script—the Bassa Vah—in the early 20th century, one of several African scripts invented in the Liberian region. Traditional Bassa society featured the Poro and Sande secret societies.
The Bassa Vah Script
The Bassa Vah is an indigenous script invented by Thomas Flo Lewis (Flo Darvin Lewis) in the 1900s-1910s for writing the Bassa language. The script is a syllabary with approximately 30 characters representing syllables. Lewis claimed to have recovered an ancient script known to his grandfather, though scholars believe it was his invention. The script gained some use in the early 20th century, with limited publication efforts. While never achieving widespread adoption—most Bassa use Latin script—Bassa Vah represents African intellectual creativity in developing writing systems. It joins the Vai syllabary, Mende Kikakui, and N'Ko among West African indigenous scripts. Efforts to revive interest in Bassa Vah continue.
Relations with Americo-Liberians
The Bassa, like other indigenous Liberians, had complex relationships with the Americo-Liberian settlers who founded Liberia. The Bassa territory lay adjacent to Monrovia, exposing them to early settler expansion. Bassa people served as laborers, traded with settlers, and sometimes intermarried with Americo-Liberians. Yet tensions persisted over land, political representation, and cultural respect. The Bassa were incorporated into Liberia earlier and more thoroughly than remote groups, leading to greater acculturation but also persistent marginalization. The 1980 coup by Samuel Doe (a Krahn, not Bassa) ended Americo-Liberian dominance but ushered in new ethnic conflicts.
Contemporary Bassa
Modern Bassa endured Liberia's devastating civil wars (1989-2003), with many communities experiencing violence and displacement. Bassa politicians and fighters participated in various factions. Post-war Liberia has struggled with reconstruction; Bassa areas face challenges of poverty, underdevelopment, and trauma. Rubber plantations, rice farming, and fishing provide livelihoods. Many Bassa have migrated to Monrovia or abroad. The Bassa language remains strong, with radio broadcasts and some publications. Cultural practices, including Poro and Sande societies, persist in modified forms. How the Bassa contribute to Liberia's recovery—and whether the Bassa Vah script can be revived—shapes this coastal people's post-conflict future.
References
- Dalby, D. (1967). "A Survey of the Indigenous Scripts of Liberia and Sierra Leone"
- Ellis, S. (1999). The Mask of Anarchy: The Destruction of Liberia
- Singler, J. V. (2008). "The Sociohistorical Background to Decreolization in Liberia"