Panel 2: Manuscript Libraries and Manuscript Heritage Centres in Africa

This panel concerns the histories and missions of manuscript libraries and manuscript heritage centres in Africa, ranging from large national to small local institutions and organizations. Possible topics include, but are not limited to, descriptions of manuscript collections, particularly those that are not well known or catalogued; overviews of heritage management organizations and the services they provide; and the history of collections and collecting.

Moderator: Mohamed Diagayeté, General Director of Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research – Timbuktu, Mali

Keynote paper: A Historical, Paleographical and Codicological Review of Manuscript Books in Western Africa by Ahmed Chaouki Binebine, Director of the Royal Treasury (Bibliothèque al-Hassania) – Rabat, Morocco
(Presentation Recording – Original)  (Presentation Recording – English Interpretation)

Selected Paper: Arabic-Script Heritage Centres in Black Africa: Manuscripts Department,  University of Dakar, Senegal: Case Study by Djim Othman Drame, Researcher and Head of the Manuscripts and Research Department at Fundamental Institute of Black Africa, Cheikh Anta Diop University – Dakar, Senegal
(Presentation Recording – Original)  (Presentation Recording – English Interpretation)

Selected Paper: The History and Importance of the Kairouan Manuscript Collection by Jonathan Eugene Brockopp, Professor at the Department of History and Religion Studies, Pennsylvania State University – Pennsylvania, United States
(Presentation Recording – Original)  (Presentation Recording – English Interpretation)