Saving Saharan Manuscripts: The AMALIA Project
Maria Luisa Russo, a young restorer from Turin, directs AMALIA (Archivi, MAnoscritti e LIbri Antichi), a project dedicated to preserving ancient and modern manuscripts in Saharan cities such as Timbuktu, Djenné, Chinguetti, and Oualata. Her involvement with Africa began after 2012, when jihadist groups occupied Timbuktu, destroying monumental tombs and attempting to burn part of the city's vast manuscript collection. After volumes at the Centre Ahmed Baba were burned, NGOs and local institutions organized the relocation of many texts. The AMALIA project continues this conservation work, safeguarding a unique cultural heritage.
Key facts
- AMALIA stands for Archivi, MAnoscritti e LIbri Antichi.
- Maria Luisa Russo is a young restorer from Turin.
- She has been working for about ten years on manuscript conservation.
- The project focuses on Saharan cities: Timbuktu, Djenné, Chinguetti, Oualata.
- Jihadist groups occupied Timbuktu after 2012.
- They destroyed monumental tombs and tried to burn manuscripts.
- Volumes at the Centre Ahmed Baba were burned.
- NGOs and local institutions organized the relocation of manuscript collections.
Entities
Artists
- Maria Luisa Russo
Institutions
- Centre Ahmed Baba
- AMALIA
Locations
- Turin
- Italy
- Timbuktu
- Mali
- Djenné
- Chinguetti
- Mauritania
- Oualata
- Sahara