Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTimbuktu Update
http://www.tombouctoumanuscripts.org/blog/entry/timbuktu_update/Since the start of this week there are reports about the destruction of library buildings and book collections in Timbuktu. It sounds as if the written heritage of the town went up in flames. According to our information this is not the case at all. The custodians of the libraries worked quietly throughout the rebel occupation of Timbuktu to ensure the safety of their materials. A limited number of items have been damaged or stolen, the infrastructure neglected and furnishings in the Ahmad Baba Institute library looted but from all our local sources all intimately connected with the public and private collections in the town - there was no malicious destruction of any library or collection.
By Sunday January 27 the Ansar Dine rebels had fled Timbuktu. The French army and its Malian partners entered the town on that day.
One of the first reports on Monday morning out of the town was that a library and books had been set alight. A Sky News journalist, Alex Crawford, embedded with the French forces, reported in the evening from inside the new Ahmad Baba building, which is opposite the Sankore mosque. This building was officially opened in 2009 and is the product of a partnership between South Africa and Mali. It is meant to be a state-of-the-art archival, conservation, and research facility. Images showed empty manuscript enclosures strewn on the floor, some burnt leather pouches, and a small pile of ashes. She reported that over 25,000 mss had been burned or disappeared. Additional images showed her going down to the vault of the archives and looking at empty display cabinets. No signs of fire could be seen. .........
By Sunday January 27 the Ansar Dine rebels had fled Timbuktu. The French army and its Malian partners entered the town on that day.
One of the first reports on Monday morning out of the town was that a library and books had been set alight. A Sky News journalist, Alex Crawford, embedded with the French forces, reported in the evening from inside the new Ahmad Baba building, which is opposite the Sankore mosque. This building was officially opened in 2009 and is the product of a partnership between South Africa and Mali. It is meant to be a state-of-the-art archival, conservation, and research facility. Images showed empty manuscript enclosures strewn on the floor, some burnt leather pouches, and a small pile of ashes. She reported that over 25,000 mss had been burned or disappeared. Additional images showed her going down to the vault of the archives and looking at empty display cabinets. No signs of fire could be seen. .........
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
6 replies, 865 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (4)
ReplyReply to this post
6 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Timbuktu Update (Original Post)
Coyotl
Feb 2013
OP
leveymg
(36,418 posts)1. Sky News is Faux to the rest of world. Looks like another baby incubator story, but that's war.
At least they're consistent.
former9thward
(32,064 posts)2. This is good news.
I read another article that said most of the documents had been transferred out of the area in advance. In addition there are digital reproductions of all those that were destroyed.
madrchsod
(58,162 posts)3. good news!
bluedigger
(17,087 posts)4. Excellent news!
So glad to hear that the reports of destruction may have been exaggerated!
ChisolmTrailDem
(9,463 posts)5. Thank you to The Librarians!
I may never see the books or materials being preserved by The Librarians of Timbuktu but the idea that any historic or ancient artifact, especially texts, stabs me right in the heart.
pampango
(24,692 posts)6. Sounds like the retreating rebels burned the wrong museum building.
While Malian librarians had "worked quietly throughout the rebel occupation of Timbuktu to ensure the safety of their materials." That's what librarians anywhere would do.
From the link in the OP:
The "new Ahmed Baba Institute building had been burned by the Ansar Dine before fleeing". Fortunately, "the majority of the mss. of the Institute was still stored in the old building opened in 1974 and on the other side of the town, from the new building."
Sounds like the retreating rebels burned the new museum building, not realizing that most of the historical artifacts were stored in the old museum building. Perhaps the rebels did not visit the museums often enough during the months they controlled the town to realize which building had the important things.