DCDC16 | Joining the dots: projects on conservation and research of Malian written cultural heritage

DCDC16 | Joining the dots: projects on conservation and research of Malian written cultural heritage

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  Joining the Dots: Projectson Conservation and Research of Malian Written Cultural Heritage Dmitry Bondarev | Maria Luisa Russo Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, Germany
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  Dmitry Bondarev |Maria Luisa Russo Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, Germany 1. Malian written cultural heritage  Book and documents collections dating mainly from the XVIII century onwards  Writing: Arabic; languages: Arabic and African languages (Songhai, Bambara, Fulfulde, Soninke...)  Collections structures: mainly private owners. Library as family heritage; books and documents are mixed.
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  Dmitry Bondarev |Maria Luisa Russo Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, Germany 1. Malian written cultural heritage  Heritage spread across the country: not only Timbuktu city and Region, but also other cultural centres (Segou, Jenne)  Past projects on preservation and research, by several Malian and international institutions  Political troubles in 2012: major part of Timbuktu manuscripts were moved to Bamako
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  Dmitry Bondarev |Maria Luisa Russo Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, Germany 2. Current projects - Germany  Coordination: University of Hamburg, Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures  Financing: Auswärtiges Amt, Gerda Henkel Stiftung, Jutta Vogel Stiftung  Auswärtiges Amt (Federal Foreign Office): project on Timbuktu mss for preventive conservation, basic cataloguing of manuscripts, libraries reconstruction and equipment  Ongoing digitization, carried out by Hill Museum and Manuscript Library: close cooperation
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  Dmitry Bondarev |Maria Luisa Russo Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, Germany 2. Current projects - Germany  Gerda Henkel Stiftung: one project on Timbuktu manuscripts, two projects on Segou and Jenne. Activities: cataloguing, preservation, research  Contribution by Jutta Vogel Stiftung  In 2015, another project funded by GHS started research on Ajami mss (in Arabic script in African languages). Aims: identification of languages, cataloguing and research on mss: monolingual (non-Arabic), bilingual and multilingual
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  Dmitry Bondarev |Maria Luisa Russo Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, Germany 3. Multicultural & multilingual: manuscripts as connective space  Ajami project: focus on manuscripts coming from different communities, whose linguistic identities can be traced in the manuscripts  Work organization: research of free-lance researchers, who work in libraries and in families’ households to identify manuscripts  Researcher as a mediator between social groups – academic community and non-academic communities
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  Dmitry Bondarev |Maria Luisa Russo Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, Germany 3. Multicultural & multilingual: manuscripts as connective space  Interaction and exchange between different social actors  Manuscripts as connective space, where researchers and families interact  Private collections and risk of loss: the role of research in cultural heritage perception
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  Dmitry Bondarev |Maria Luisa Russo Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, Germany 4. Partnerships  Local partners, dynamic partnership: acting in direct cooperation with local social stakeholders  Importance of widening potential audience and interests around manuscripts
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  Dmitry Bondarev |Maria Luisa Russo Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, Germany 5. Perspectives and challenges  Access and research is still difficult in some cases  Financing: need of renegotiating some rules of project reporting in order to take into consideration local unwritten rules of hospitality  Work: individual and team  Connecting projects to foster collaboration among different people involved
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  Thank you for yourattention Dmitry Bondarev | Maria Luisa Russo Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, Germany