Joining the Dots:Projects on Conservation and Research of Malian Written Cultural HeritageDmitry Bondarev | Maria Luisa RussoCentre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, Germany

Dmitry Bondarev | Maria Luisa RussoCentre 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.

Dmitry Bondarev | Maria Luisa RussoCentre 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

Dmitry Bondarev | Maria Luisa RussoCentre 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

Dmitry Bondarev | Maria Luisa RussoCentre 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

Dmitry Bondarev | Maria Luisa RussoCentre 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

Dmitry Bondarev | Maria Luisa RussoCentre 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

Dmitry Bondarev | Maria Luisa RussoCentre 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

Dmitry Bondarev | Maria Luisa RussoCentre 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

Thank you foryour attention

Dmitry Bondarev | Maria Luisa RussoCentre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures, University of Hamburg, Germany