Medieval African texts take spotlight
30,000 documents hailed as proof of African scholarship

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - A collection of medieval manuscripts from Timbuktu that academics hail as proof of an African scholarly tradition go on public show on the continent for the first time on Friday.

Timbuktu in Mali, West Africa, has been trumpeted as the epicenter of Africa’s intellectual heritage, and the discovery of 30,000 lost texts has challenged the stereotype of Africa as a continent with no written history.

South African President Thabo Mbeki has spearheaded a project to protect the texts from illegal trafficking and disrepair by building a new library in the old Islamic city.

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