The Manuscripts of Timbuktu

Zola Maseko's documentary opens with a historical sketch of the city of Timbuktu, portraying it as a flourishing trade emporium from the 11th-18th century—a hub for caravans from the east and south and merchants from the north. But the film demonstrates that Timbuktu was also a cultural and intellectual center where education and scholarship thrived—reflected in the production of thousands of manuscripts. The focus here is on Ahmed Baba (1556–1627), a noted teacher and writer who continued his work as a detainee in Morocco, which had occupied Western Sudan, before being freed to return to Timbuktu. The Manuscripts of Timbuktu combines narration, dramatic re-creations (with actor Eriq Ebouaney portraying Baba), artwork, and commentary from local historians and religious leaders to trace Baba's career and influence. Maseko's primary purpose is to celebrate Baba's legacy (along with that of other scholars of Timbuktu) through the founding of the Ahmed Baba Institute, a public library and research facility where many manuscripts have been collected for study. The production closes with the 2009 celebration of the Institute's establishment as a joint venture between the governments of Mali and South Africa. One can't help but wonder about the library's fate, however, since the March 2012 coup in Mali—which deposed President Amadou Toumani Touré (prominent in the footage of inaugural festivities)—has left Timbuktu under the control of Ansar Dine, an extremist Islamic group known to have desecrated other sites in the city. A fine testimony to Timbuktu's rich past and the wider African culture it represents, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)