# Africa and Middle East Braille Systems

## Overview

This category includes Braille systems from Africa and the Middle East. Many African Braille systems are based on French Braille, adapted for local languages and scripts.

## Major Africa and Middle East Braille Codes

### [Hebrew Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_Braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Hebrew, Yiddish
- **Key Characteristics:** Adapted for Hebrew alphabet with distinct vowel markings (niqqud); used primarily in Israel. Uses same cell patterns as English but mapped to Hebrew letters
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Swahili Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swahili_Braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Swahili (East Africa)
- **Key Characteristics:** Based on Latin alphabet. Based on English or French Braille depending on region
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Hausa Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_braille#Hausa_Braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Hausa
- **Key Characteristics:** Adapted for Hausa alphabet
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Amharic Braille (Ethiopian Braille / Ge'ez Script)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ge%CA%BDez_Braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Amharic and other Ethiopian Semitic languages
- **Key Characteristics:** Adapted for Amharic and other Ethiopian Semitic languages using the Ge'ez syllabary. Adapted for Ge'ez script
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Yoruba Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_braille#Yoruba_Braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Yoruba
- **Key Characteristics:** Includes tone markers
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Zulu Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Zulu
- **Key Characteristics:** Adapted for Zulu alphabet
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Xhosa Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Xhosa
- **Key Characteristics:** Adapted for Xhosa alphabet
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Ghanaian Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghanaian_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Ghanaian languages (Akan/Twi, Ewe, Ga, Dagaare)
- **Key Characteristics:** Based on French-ordered Braille
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Akan (Twi) Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghanaian_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Akan (Twi)
- **Key Characteristics:** Part of Ghanaian Braille system. Based on French-ordered Braille
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Ewe Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghanaian_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Ewe
- **Key Characteristics:** Part of Ghanaian Braille system. Based on French-ordered Braille
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Ga and Dagaare Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghanaian_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Ga, Dagaare
- **Key Characteristics:** Part of Ghanaian Braille system. Based on French-ordered Braille
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Nigerian Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Nigerian languages (Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba)
- **Key Characteristics:** Based on French-ordered Braille. Includes Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba Braille alphabets
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Igbo Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_braille#Igbo_Braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Igbo
- **Key Characteristics:** Part of Nigerian Braille system. Based on English Braille with extensions for Igbo-specific letters
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [South African Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** South African languages (Afrikaans, Ndebele, Sesotho, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu)
- **Key Characteristics:** Based on English Braille. Includes Afrikaans, Sesotho, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu Braille alphabets
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Afrikaans Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Afrikaans
- **Key Characteristics:** Part of South African Braille system. Based on English Braille
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Sesotho and Tswana Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Sesotho, Tswana
- **Key Characteristics:** Part of South African Braille system. Based on English Braille
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Swati/Siswati Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Swati (Siswati)
- **Key Characteristics:** Part of South African Braille system. Based on English Braille. Swati is one of the 12 official languages of South Africa
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Ndebele Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Southern Ndebele (isiNdebele)
- **Key Characteristics:** Part of South African Braille system. Based on English Braille. Ndebele is one of the 12 official languages of South Africa
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Venda Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Venda
- **Key Characteristics:** Part of South African Braille system. Based on English Braille
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Zambian Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zambian_Braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Zambian languages
- **Key Characteristics:** Based on French-ordered Braille
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Algerian Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algerian_Braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Algerian Arabic (obsolete)
- **Key Characteristics:** Reordered system (obsolete)
- **Status:** Obsolete

### [Arabic Braille](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_Braille)
- **Languages Supported:** Arabic, Persian (Farsi), Urdu (Pakistan)
- **Key Characteristics:** Uses French sorting order; adapted for right-to-left reading; avoids reordering chaos (unlike obsolete Algerian Braille); used across Middle East and North Africa
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Tifinagh/Amazigh Braille](https://www.ircam.ma/)
- **Languages Supported:** Amazigh (Berber) languages — Tamazight, Tashelhit, Tarifit, Kabyle, Tuareg, and others
- **Key Characteristics:** Adapted for Tifinagh script used by Amazigh (Berber) peoples across North Africa. Developed following the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) standardization of Neo-Tifinagh in Morocco (2003). Maps Braille cells to the 33 letters of the Neo-Tifinagh alphabet. Morocco officially recognized Amazigh as a national language in 2011, driving demand for Braille materials in Tifinagh
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

### [Tigre Braille](https://www.perkins.org/resource/world-braille-usage/)
- **Languages Supported:** Tigre
- **Key Characteristics:** Adapted for Tigre language of Eritrea; Ge'ez script family; distinct from Tigrinya Braille
- **Status:** <span style="color: green;">Active</span>

## Regional Notes

- Many West African languages use adaptations of French Braille
- South African languages often use adaptations of English Braille
- Arabic Braille is used in North African countries