Unesco and savama-dci launch new training for Mali’s ancient manuscript guardians
A major capacity-building programme has officially begun with the opening of a series of training workshops dedicated to Mali’s ancient manuscripts, under the project “Promoting the preservation and accessibility of endangered African documentary heritage”.
Led by the UNESCO office in Mali in partnership with the NGO SAVAMA-DCI, the initiative aims to strengthen the skills of over 70 participants, including members from families that hold ancient manuscripts, as well as students and researchers. The goal is to better preserve and enhance this priceless heritage.
The ancient manuscripts of the Sahel, especially those from Mali, represent a unique source of knowledge and bear witness to Africa’s rich historical and intellectual legacy. Given the threats posed by security crises and climate change, their preservation has become a top priority for national authorities and their partners.
In this context, the ongoing project seeks to build on the achievements of previous programmes and improve conservation, accessibility, and valorisation practices for endangered documentary heritage.
The training programme is structured around several successive workshops:
The first workshop, held from 29 June to 1 July 2026, focuses on techniques for prospecting and identifying ancient manuscripts. Participants will learn how to locate, identify, and document manuscripts within families, libraries, and other storage places.
The second workshop, scheduled from 2 to 4 July 2026, covers inventory and cataloguing methods. Attendees will learn to collect, organise, and describe manuscript data, as well as create standardised descriptive records.
These two complementary sessions, whose opening was presided over by the representative of the Minister of Handicrafts, Culture, Hospitality Industry and Tourism, in the presence of the acting head of the UNESCO office in Mali and the Executive President of SAVAMA-DCI on 29 June 2026, will cover the entire management chain of ancient manuscripts—from identification to systematic documentation—for the benefit of 15 agents from families holding ancient manuscripts.
“The Department of Handicrafts, Culture, Hospitality Industry and Tourism assures you of its constant support for the success of this project and will pay particular attention to the expected results and their impacts,” declared Mamadou Cissé, technical adviser representing the Minister of Culture.
As for the Head of the Bureau, Ali-Mohamed Sinane, he expressed: “Preserving ancient manuscripts means preserving our memory, our identity, and our shared history. It also means passing on to future generations an intellectual heritage of inestimable value. I hope that these workshops will be rich in exchanges, learning, and commitment, and that they will significantly contribute to the efforts to safeguard Mali’s documentary heritage.”
After these two workshops, participants will be able to conduct field missions, correctly identify manuscripts, describe them, and contribute to their integration into structured inventory systems.
This training programme, which will continue in the coming months for students and researchers on topics such as critical edition and translation of ancient manuscripts, marks an important step in strengthening national capacities for the protection and promotion of ancient manuscripts in Mali.
Through these workshops, UNESCO and its partners, notably the Government of Japan, reaffirm their commitment to safeguarding African documentary heritage. The objective is not only to preserve these treasures for future generations but also to enhance their recognition by the general public as cultural heritage of historical importance.
