Latest / Timbuktu: Africa's Forgotten Center of Knowledge — Fexingo History
The Timbuktu Manuscripts That Survived Jihadist Occupation
In 2012, when Islamist militants seized Timbuktu and began destroying its ancient manuscripts, a quiet rescue operation unfolded. Led by librarian Abdel Kader Haidara, a team of archivists and ordinary citizens smuggled over 350,000 manuscripts out of the city under the noses of Ansar Dine and Al Qaeda. This episode tells the story of that daring evacuation: how manuscripts were hidden in trunks, transported by boat and donkey, and concealed in safe houses in Bamako and private homes across Mali. We explore the ethics of preservation in conflict zones, the role of foreign funding, and the…
The skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.