Malian and foreign experts underline the urgency of an action plan to save the ancient manuscripts

Thousands of ancient manuscripts of Timbuktu in northern Mali are exposed to multiple risks of deterioration and backup requires an emergency plan to support the inventory and conservation efforts already undertaken in this area , said the participants at an international conference in Bamako.

This plan will ensure the cooperation of all stakeholders to accelerate and strengthen the security of manuscripts that were ‘exfiltrated’ to Bamako in 2012 during the occupation of the north by jihadist groups, a statement certifying the work of the meeting held during the last week.

Organised by the UNESCO office in Bamako, the Malian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Institute of Advanced Studies and Islamic Research “Ahmed Baba of Timbuktu” this meeting four days was under the theme ‘The ancient manuscripts face the challenges of the time.’ ‘

Participants in this meeting and put special emphasis on ” training of human resources for conservation, digitization and cataloging, as well as the safety of local and reception conditions’ of these documents.

They called for a mobilization of all national stakeholders involved in the protection and management of manuscripts, especially holders, holding families and private libraries, to make an exhaustive statement of all assets of Mali documentary and actions for its sustainable backup..

The participants, including Malian and foreign specialists in the conservation of tangible and intangible heritage, have also called for measures to prevent and fight against illicit trafficking of manuscripts as cultural property.

In 2012, several manuscripts dating back centuries were destroyed in northern Mali during the occupation of the area by jihadist groups. At the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu, 4.203 of these manuscripts have been burned or stolen, while nearly 90 pc of these documents have been saved, through the action of the population organized around the NGO “backup and recovery of manuscripts for the defense of Islamic Culture “(SAVAMA-DCI), a partner of the conference.

Experts estimate 300,000 records the number of manuscripts.