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Nate
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 Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2006 3:41 pm Post subject: Libraries In The Sand Reveal Africa's Literary Past |
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Thought this was pretty cool:
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Libraries in the sand reveal Africa's academic past
By Nick Tattersas
Reuters
Nov 10, 2006 — TIMBUKTU, Mali (Reuters) - Researchers in Timbuktu are fighting to preserve tens of thousands of ancient texts which they say prove Africa had a written history at least as old as the European Renaissance.
Private and public libraries in the fabled Saharan town in Mali have already collected 150,000 brittle manuscripts, some of them from the 13th century, and local historians believe many more lie buried under the sand.
The texts were stashed under mud homes and in desert caves by proud Malian families whose successive generations feared they would be stolen by Moroccan invaders, European explorers and then French colonialists.
Written in ornate calligraphy, some were used to teach astrology or mathematics, while others tell tales of social and business life in Timbuktu during its "Golden Age," when it was a seat of learning in the 16th century.
"These manuscripts are about all the fields of human knowledge: law, the sciences, medicine," said Galla Dicko, director of the Ahmed Baba Institute, a library housing 25,000 of the texts.
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Read The Whole Thing
Could make for a cool short story. Old, distinguished family, now destitute forced to sell centuries old manuscripts to book dealers from the West. |
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bubblewrapped
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 8:10 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, that's really interesting. **drools over old documents**
Seriously though. Thanks for sharing, Nate ^_^ |
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Chandni
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 9:01 pm Post subject: |
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Wow, yeah thnx for that Nate.
I guess once again some unexplained stuff will be revealed with these "sand" papers *hearts scientists* |
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jearjioe
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| Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2006 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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Woah thats wicked cool!!!! It's good that people will now realize Africa is as old as anyother contenant and that they too were civilized at an early time.
Funny how people think that Africa is a poor, stupid contenant but in reality, they are just as compex and smart as everyone else, they just don't have the oppertunity to prove it.
Maybe now people will see that and see Africans as who they are, human beings.
Thanks for sharing this!!
Jearjioe |
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