The Festival in the Desert was my original goal and inspired me to travel to Mali. The festival has had a difficult time. This video explains the situation.
Yes, I have now been to Tombouctou — the French way to spell it. Our tour guide was very informative about the history, and the current state of the libraries in the town.
Some of my favorite videos are no longer available on you-tube, which of course leads me to other videos on You Tube and lots of memories.
Also check out the book, “The Badass Librarians of Timbuktu.”
Here’s the NYTimes book review, explaining the tragedy and the triumph!
Here’s an NPR discussion of what the Librarians did to save the manuscripts when Sharia Law was imposed on the town.
timbuktus-badass-librarians-checking-out-books-under-al-qaidas-nose
We stood in the library. History always speaks to me, and that library was like a “Mecca” — yes, I know the wordplay there!
Update: Turns out the manuscripts were transported to Bamako, which is a very humid, jungle-type climate. The digital recording of the documents has become a high priority for the whole world.