Media Releases / Support Letters
Letters of Support
‘Un Film documentaire contribuerait également à la prise de conscience de
l’importance de ces archives et de leur contenus et à leur conservation pour les
générations futures pas seulment du Mali mais de toute l’Afrique.’
(‘A documentary film would also add to the awareness of the importance of these Archives and their contents and to their preservation for the future generations of not only for the people of Mali, but of all Africans.‘)
Mohammed Gallah DICKO
Directeur Général
The Institute of Higher Study and Islamic Research Ahmed Baba
‘Je ne saurais vous dire combien ce genre de projet est important pour la préservation, l’exploitation et la valorisation du patrimoine documentaire en péril.
La recherche sur le contenu des manuscrits permet non seulement de faire connaî tre le riche contenu scientifique des documents mais aussi de faire connaî tre les documents mê mes aux chercheurs et autres utilisateurs qui ignorent leur existence.
C’est le genre de projet que nous encourageons et accueillons avec beaucoup d’intérê t.’
(‘This project is more important than I can say for the preservation and utilization of the manuscripts and to record our heritage that is in peril.
The research of the content of the manuscripts not only makes known the rich scientific content of the documents but also brings them to the attention of researchers and other academics who don’t know of their existence.
This is the type of project that we encourage and welcome with much interest.’)
Abdel Kader HAIDARA
Le Président
Bibliothèque Commemorative Mamma Haïdara
‘A film project publicising the importance of our work in Timbuktu will not only create a greater awareness of the African scholarly material internationally, it will also allow Africans to acknowledge these academics and their own scholarly heritage.
Dr Graham Dominy
National Archivist
Department of Arts and Culture
Government of the Republic of South Africa
“Africa is still known as "a place where science and technology are alien to its cultures.” This image needs to be challenged by facts of the present as well as of history. I cannot imagine a better way than this project.
Africa needs to recover its self-confidence and bury the ghost of the fear of mathematical sciences amongst our school children and their teachers
Africa needs this inspiration to transcend its current challenges.’
Dr Mamphela Ramphele
(Dr Ramphele was previously a managing director of the World Bank and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town and currently serves on the board of Transnet and Anglo-American Corporation.)
‘... just the type of film I was hoping someone would make. Congratulations to the South African team’
Alida Jay Boye
Centre for Development and the Environment (SUM)
University of Oslo
‘Au-delà de la vérité scientifique et historique qu’elle permet de découvrir, elle favorise une prise de conscience de la nécessité de préserver ces trésors menacés que sont les manuscrits et soutient une véritable coopération entre différents chercheurs et différentes institutions.’
(‘Beyond the scientific and historical knowledge that the research will reveal, it will also highlight the necessity to preserve this threatened treasure, the manuscripts of Tombouctou. This research will also begin valuable cooperation between different researchers and institutions.’)
Alfadoulou Abdoulahi
(Scientific co-ordinator between UNESCO, the Ahmed Baba Institute and other partners involved with the digitizing and cataloguing of the manuscripts of Tombouctou/currently writing a doctorate thesis on Digital Library Science in Lyon, France.)
