Born into the Bété people, a group encompassing several ethnic groups in central-western Ivory Coast, Frédéric Bruly Bouabré attended French school for nine years. Enlisting in the French West African Navy as a sailor, he arrived in Dakar in 1941. At the end of World War II, he remained in Senegal, working as a clerk until 1957. He then returned to his country of origin, where he worked as a civil servant and later at the Abidjan Museum.

On March 11, 1948, he received a divine revelation in a dream that would influence his life and work: “(When) the sky opened before my eyes and seven colored suns traced a circle of beauty around their Mother Sun, I became Cheick Nadro: he who does not forget.”

From then on, he recorded his research in manuscripts encompassing all fields of knowledge, dedicating himself to unifying and pacifying humanity.

Frédéric Bruly Bouabré created the Bété alphabet, composed of 448 signs. He transcribed tales, texts from the Bété tradition, and poems using this script. His research was published in 1958 by Théodore Monod.

Starting in 1970, he drew his visions, dreams, and observations on small pieces of cardboard the size of postcards, compiling them under the title "Knowledge of the World."

His work was exhibited for the first time in Europe in 1989 at the "Magiciens de la terre" (Magicians of the Earth) exhibition. His work has been the subject of solo exhibitions at some of the most prestigious museum institutions, such as MoMA, the Centre Pompidou, and the Tate Modern in London.