Nsibidi which dates as far back as the 4th century was a secretive language, that was primarily used by the Ekpe (leopard) society, a secret society found across Cross River State among the Ekoi, Efik, Ibibio and the Igbo people.
Aspects of colonial rule such as Western education, drastically reduced the number of nsibidi-literate people, leaving the secret society members as some of the last literate in the symbols. Nsibidi was and is still a means of transmitting Ekpe symbolism. Nsibidi was transported to Cuba 🇨🇺 and Haiti 🇭🇹 via the Atlantic slave trade, where it developed into the anaforuana and veve symbols.
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