West African Islamic manuscripts, meaning written in Arabic or in ‘ajamī and reflecting the perspective of a Muslim civilisation, problematise the very notion of “Oriental manuscript”. West Africa is, of course, not an Oriental region. However, since I fully locate West African manuscripts in the broader framework of Islamic manuscripts, my contribution finds its natural place in this Newsletter – and in this network. My article is divided in two parts. The first discusses the prejudices permeating both so-called “Islamic studies” and “African studies” which are at the root of a disqualification of the West African manuscript heritage. The second, to appear in the next issue, reviews scholarly publications on West African manuscript collections, including articles, presentations, handlists and catalogues that have appeared since the colonial period.