Latest / Timbuktu: Africa's Forgotten Center of Knowledge — Fexingo History / The Women Scholars of Timbuktu
Transcript
- Lucas: So far on this show we've talked a lot about the great male scholars of Timbuktu — Ahmed Baba, al-Qadi Aqib, the Askia dynasty. But one thing that we haven't really touched on is the role of women in that intellectual tradition. And it's a fascinating, if often invisible, story. Luna: I've always wondered about that. Were women actually part of the scholarly scene in Timbuktu? Lucas: They were, but the historical record makes it hard to see them. Most of the biographies from the Timbuktu chronicles — like the Tarikh al-Sudan and the Tarikh al-Fattash — focus on men. But we know from other sources that women were active as scribes, teachers, and even scholars in their own right. Lucas: For instance, there's the figure of Nana Asma'u. She was the daughter of Usman dan Fodio, the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate in the early 19th century. And she was a prolific scholar, poet, and teacher. She wrote over 60 works in Arabic, Hausa, and Fulfulde — covering everything from theology to women's rights. Luna: Wait — she wrote in Hausa? That's unusual for an Islamic scholar at the time, isn't it? Lucas: Exactly right. Most scholarly writing was in Arabic, but Nana Asma'u deliberately wrote in local languages to reach a wider audience, especially women who might not have had access to Arabic education. She also established a network of female teachers called the 'jajis' — women who traveled across the caliphate teaching other women. Lucas: And this wasn't happening in isolation. The Sokoto Caliphate, which was the largest state in West Africa at the time, heavily promoted education for women. Usman dan Fodio himself wrote a treatise arguing that women had a right to education, and he criticized rulers who kept women ignorant. Luna: That's remarkable for the early 1800s. What about Timbuktu specifically? Were there women scholars there? Lucas: Yes, though the evidence is scattered. One name that appears is Fatima al-Suqayriya — she was a scholar from a prominent Timbuktu family in the 16th century. We know about her because she was mentioned in a biographical dictionary by Ahmed Baba. She was known for her knowledge of Islamic law and her teaching. Lucas: There's also the fascinating case of the 'Fatima fatwa' — a legal opinion from the 1500s that debated whether women could serve as judges or muftis. The question was posed by a woman scholar, and the response, while conservative in its conclusion, actually acknowledged women's capacity for scholarship. Luna: So women were actively arguing for their own rights in the legal system. That's amazing. Lucas: Absolutely. And then there's the matter of the manuscripts themselves. Many of the surviving Timbuktu manuscripts were copied by women scribes. In fact, we have colophons — those little notes at the end of a manuscript — where the copyist identifies herself as a woman. There's one from the 17th century that says, 'Copied by Aisha bint Muhammad, may God forgive her.' Lucas: These women weren't just passive copyists either. They were often educated enough to correct errors in the texts they were copying. So they were active participants in the transmission of knowledge. Luna: Did any of them own their own libraries? I remember you mentioned private libraries in an earlier episode. Lucas: Great question. There's evidence that some women amassed significant collections. One notable example is Khoja Fatima, a wealthy merchant in the 18th century who owned a library of over 700 manuscripts. That was a huge collection for the time, comparable to what many male scholars owned. Lucas: Her library included works on astronomy, medicine, and Islamic law — the same range of subjects we've discussed in earlier episodes. And she didn't just collect them; she also funded the copying of new manuscripts, which helped spread knowledge across the region. Luna: So she was essentially a patron of scholarship. Like a female Mansa Musa, but for books instead of gold. Lucas: Ha, that's a great comparison. Though of course on a smaller scale. But it shows that women were deeply embedded in the intellectual economy of Timbuktu. They were patrons, scribes, and sometimes scholars in their own right. Lucas: We also have records of women teaching in the informal study circles that gathered around the Sankore mosque. While the formal professorships were dominated by men, women could and did lead study groups in their homes. Luna: I guess the real question is: why don't we know more about them? Is it just because the chroniclers were men? Lucas: That's a big part of it. The Tarikh al-Sudan and similar works were written by male scholars for a male audience. They simply didn't think to record women's achievements. But also, women's scholarship was often more informal — it didn't leave the same paper trail as the men who held official positions. Lucas: However, there are hints in the surviving manuscripts. For example, some letters between scholars mention women as intermediaries or as sources of information. And in the oral traditions of the region, women are often remembered as key transmitters of knowledge. Luna: So the oral tradition fills in some of the gaps that the written record leaves. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why modern historians are increasingly turning to oral histories and to re-examining the manuscripts with fresh eyes. There's a project called 'Women in the Timbuktu Manuscripts' that's been systematically looking for mentions of women in the colophons and marginalia. Lucas: They've already found dozens of previously unknown female copyists and scholars. And we're only scratching the surface. It's a reminder that the history of Timbuktu is still being written. Luna: That's a hopeful note to end on. So there's more to discover? Lucas: Absolutely. Every time a new manuscript is digitized or a forgotten archive is opened, we get a clearer picture. And that picture is far more diverse than the old narratives suggested. Women were always part of the story — we just had to learn how to see them. Lucas: So next time you think of Timbuktu as a city of male scholars, remember Nana Asma'u, Fatima al-Suqayriya, and Khoja Fatima. They were there, shaping the intellectual life of the Sahel in their own way.