South Africa supporting library for historic documents in Mali
Posted by worldlylibrarian on June 5, 2008
A recent budget announcement by the South African Arts and Culture Minister, Pallo Jordan, included one million Rand (about 80,000 euro) to help build a library in Timbuktu, Mali.
More than 100,000 manuscripts, some dating back to pre-Islamic times, were kept hidden by various families in private libraries in Timbuktu over the years. The documents, many written by Mali wise men coming from the Mali Empire, cover a variety of subjects including astronomy, music, and botany. Some of these documents have been moved to various libraries in the region, but others remain in private hands.
There is a comprehensive online exhibit about the documents at the Library of Congress web site.
The funds will also help in the restoration and conservation of the documents.
Original Source: Lexis Nexis/AllAfrica
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[…] by worldlylibrarian on January 22, 2009 As previously reported, the South African government has been working with the government of Mali to build a library to […]