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The Manuscript Smugglers of Timbuktu: Saving Knowledge from War
In 2012, when jihadist groups seized Timbuktu and threatened to destroy its ancient manuscripts, a secret operation was launched. Led by librarian Abdel Kader Haidara, a network of smugglers risked their lives to move hundreds of thousands of priceless texts out of the city. This is the story of the heist that saved Timbuktu's literary heritage: how manuscripts were hidden in false-bottomed trunks, smuggled past checkpoints, and hidden in safe houses in Bamako. We follow the operation from the first warnings in 2012 to the final evacuation in 2013, and explore the legacy of the…
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