Manga Kanuri

Manga Kanuri is one of the two main dialects of the Kanuri language, which belongs to the Saharan branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. This language is spoken by over 5.7 million people in central Africa. Manga Kanuri itself is used as a trade language by approximately 450,000 people in Niger and over 250,000 in Nigeria. The other major dialect, Yerwa Kanuri, is more widely spoken and used for both oral and written communication across several countries, including Nigeria, where it is a national language. The Kanuri people have a history dating back over 500 years, with a powerful empire known as Bornu (or Kanem-Bornu) reaching its peak in the 16th century. They have been Muslims since the 11th century.123