Pretoria - The newly completed archives and library building, constructed by South Africa for the conservation of the Timbuktu manuscripts, will officially be handed over to the Mali Government on Saturday.
The library building will be inaugurated by President Kgalema Motlanthe, accompanied by former President Thabo Mbeki, and Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture Ntombazana Botha, said the Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
According to the department, President Motlanthe will be participating in the project, which is a New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) flagship cultural project, within the context of South Africa's commitment to African Renaissance.
The new state-of-the-art building, a design influenced by the local adobe architecture of Timbuktu and modern contemporary architectural styles, is the most ambitious aspect of the project.
The manuscripts, written in Arabic and local languages, form part of a rich and diverse cultural heritage of the ancient city that include the historic mosques of Djingery-Ber ( 1325) and Sankore (15th century), which have contributed to Timbuktu being recognised as a World Heritage Site.
The project to construct the archives and the building began after former President Mbeki visited Mali in November 2001 and was shown the ancient manuscripts in Timbuktu.
"It was upon seeing the condition of the manuscripts that the need to preserve the manuscripts arose.
"The South African government then agreed to support the conservation of the ancient manuscripts of Timbuktu and gave an undertaking to build a new library to ensure that those historical documents were properly housed and conserved," the department said.
This joint South Africa-Mali cooperation was initiated by former President Mbeki and former Mali President Oumar Konare in 2001.
A bilateral agreement signed by the two countries in 2002 outlined areas of cooperation in skills training, public awareness and proper protection with respect to the manuscripts.
This involved training for Malians in conservation during 2003-2005; increasing the awareness about the existence of the manuscripts through conferences, publications and research exchanges.
In addition in 2008 an exhibition of 40 manuscripts from Timbuktu toured six museums in South Africa.
The agreement further made provisions for the 'proper housing' of more than 30 000 manuscripts.
South Africa also established a Trust Fund to raise funds from South Africans citizens, including the business sector and donors, towards the building of the library.
The Timbuktu is an excellent example of co-operation between two African countries in the field of culture.
Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Ntombazana Botha, who is coordinating the implementation of the project together with Minister in the Presidency Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, echoes the similar sentiments:
"It is in the spirit of African cooperation and with the desire to preserve Africa's ancient manuscripts, as an important part of Africa's heritage, that this building is the outcome of collaboration between the peoples and governments of the Republic of Mali and the Republic of South Africa to make them accessible for the promotion of the African Renaissance."
