African news explained
Many Timbuktu manuscripts smuggled to safety before Islamists destroyed Ahmed Baba Centre
Issued on:
Play - 06:19
Experts in Timbuktu are still trying to assess how many of the city's ancient manuscripts have been destroyed by fleeing Islamist militants. Radical Islamists set fire to the Ahmed Baba Centre, where the documents were stored, when they fled. Some manuscripts were smuggled to safety before rebels seized the town last year so the extent of the damage is unclear. RFI talked to Mohamed Kamara, a Guinean film-maker, who is working on a documentary on the Timbuktu manuscripts.