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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="left" style="text-align:left"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU">From:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";color:windowtext;mso-fareast-language:EN-AU">
Sophie Felfoldi [mailto:ifla2@aol.com] <br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, 11 April 2012 10:20 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> ifla-l@infoserv.inist.fr<br>
<b>Cc:</b> Th.Schuler@t-online.de<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [IFLA-L] Online petition to save Timbuktu manuscripts<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Dear colleagues,<br>
<br>
On April 4 in Dakar, 51 distinguished African scholars and library directors (from 14 countries) have signed the "</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Call to preserve the ancient manuscripts<b>
</b>of Timbuktu and Mali</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">".
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">You'll find the English version at the end of this message.<br>
<br>
Today, the "West African Research Association" (WARA), part of the Center of African Studies of the University of Boston, has published the appeal in English, French and Arabic and the names of the initial supporters:
<a href="http://www.bu.edu/wara/timbuktu/">http://www.bu.edu/wara/timbuktu/</a><br>
<br>
You are also invited to sign this online petition to save the ancient manuscripts of Timbuktu:
<a href="http://fs9.formsite.com/westafricanresearchassociation/TIMBUKTU/">http://fs9.formsite.com/westafricanresearchassociation/TIMBUKTU/</a></span><a href="https://webmail.ifla.nl/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://fs9.formsite.com/westafricanresearchassociation/TIMBUKTU/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">
</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><br>
<br>
Best regards,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><br>
Thomas Schuler<br>
ICOM Disaster Relief Task Force</span><o:p></o:p></p>
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<br>
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Call to preserve the ancient manuscripts of Timbuktu and Mali</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In recent days, fighting in and around Timbuktu has led to serious concerns about the safety of the tens of thousands
of ancient manuscripts there. What is in danger is the written legacy attesting to an unprecedented intellectual and cultural expansion over the past centuries.
</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">This intellectual capital is a reflection of the continued contribution of Africans to world civilization. It is
also a reflection of the pioneering place of Africa in the very foundations of writing and the spiritual and cultural development of mankind. If this heritage were to disappear, the development of African historiography would be seriously compromised and an
important part of the world memory would be annihilated.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Given this situation, we address a solemn appeal to the belligerents to respect and protect the cultural heritage
property held in Timbuktu, including elements of the World Heritage List of UNESCO and ancient manuscript collections in libraries, in accordance with the International Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the event of conflict.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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