Festivals and Films

Timbuktu exhibition in Cape Town.

From 07 Aug 2008 to 02 Sep 2008

8 Aug-3 Sept 2008. Forty ancient manuscripts from the Ahmed Baba Institute of Higher Learning and Islamic Research (IHERI-AB) in Timbuktu, Mali, shed light on the centuries-long history of the written word in sub-Saharan Africa. The manuscripts on display, in Arabic script and some with illustrations, cover astronomy, medicine, mathematics, science, poetry, religion, commerce, law and social relationships. The exhibition also includes artefacts and clothing from Timbuktu and the Sahel region. The exhibition is part of a larger project with Mali involving the conservation of the manuscripts and the training of Malian staff by the National Archives of South Africa, as well as the construction of a new library to house the IHERI-AB collection in Timbuktu. Daily 09.30-16.00. Admission adults R20, children R10.