Timbuktu manuscripts destroyed by Mali rebels

[quisquose]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/28/mali-timbuktu-library-ancient-manuscripts

 

Hallé Ousmani Cissé told the Guardian that al-Qaida-allied fighters on Saturday torched two buildings that held the manuscripts, some of which dated back to the 13th century. They also burned down the town hall, the governor's office and an MP's residence, and shot dead a man who was celebrating the arrival of the French military

...

 

"It's true. They have burned the manuscripts," Cissé said in a phone interview from Mali's capital, Bamako. "They also burned down several buildings. There was one guy who was celebrating in the street and they killed him."

 

He added: "This is terrible news. The manuscripts were a part not only of Mali's heritage but the world's heritage. By destroying them they threaten the world. We have to kill all of the rebels in the north."

...

 

The manuscripts were held in two separate locations: an ageing library and a new South African-funded research centre, the Ahmad Babu Institute, less than a mile away. Completed in 2009 and named after a 17th-century Timbuktu scholar, the centre used state-of-the-art techniques to study and conserve the crumbling scrolls.

 

Both buildings were burned down, according to the mayor, who said the information came from an informer who had just left the town. Asked whether any of the manuscripts might have survived, Cissé replied: "I don't know."

 

The manuscripts had survived for centuries in Timbuktu, on the remote south-west fringe of the Sahara desert. They were hidden in wooden trunks, buried in boxes under the sand and in caves. When French colonial rule ended in 1960, Timbuktu residents held preserved manuscripts in 60-80 private libraries.

 

The vast majority of the texts were written in Arabic. A few were in African languages, such as Songhai, Tamashek and Bambara. There was even one in Hebrew. They covered a diverse range of topics including astronomy, poetry, music, medicine and women's rights. The oldest dated from 1204.

 

Seydou Traoré, who has worked at the Ahmed Baba Institute since 2003, and fled shortly before the rebels arrived, said only a fraction of the manuscripts had been digitised. "They cover geography, history and religion. We had one in Turkish. We don't know what it said."

 

He said the manuscripts were important because they exploded the myth that "black Africa" had only an oral history. "You just need to look at the manuscripts to realise how wrong this is."

 

It seems that whilst most people want to be a part of human civilisation, some people just want to be apart.

 

[geared]

Well it's just been announced that 350 British troops are going out there now.

 

Hopefully they'll send them on to the next realm, and they can explain themselves to their god.

[That easy]

Well it's just been announced that 350 British troops are going out there now.

 

Hopefully they'll send them on to the next realm, and they can explain themselves to their god.

 

Aaah, so the oil pipeline has reached Mali has it?

[Anarchon]

Reminds me of when the Taliban destroyed the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan. Cultural vandalism at it's worst.

[retep]

Wonder how many quran's went up in smoke, has there been any rioting on the streets.

[Tony]

Cue faux concern from people who wouldn't know an ancient text if an imam read it aloud.

 

 

(That's what's known as rhetorical satire, with just a little bit of irony spread on top)