Timbuktu's Lost Women Scholars and Manuscript Heirs

Timbuktu: Africa's Forgotten Center of Knowledge — Fexingo History · Sep 6, 2026 · 9m · transcript

While we often hear about the male jurists and merchants of Timbuktu, this episode uncovers the vital role of women in preserving the city’s vast library of manuscripts. We explore the lineage of the Haidara family, particularly Mamma Haidara and his mother, who risked their lives to hide thousands of texts during the 2012 militant occupation. Through the lens of oral history and recent archival discoveries, Lucas and Luna discuss how these families maintained strict genealogies of knowledge transmission, or isnad, ensuring that wisdom passed not just through madrasas but through household…