Tragedy is due to divergence and because of lack of tolerance …
Glory to he who creates greatness from difference and makes
peace and reconciliation - Timbuktu manuscript entry by El Hadj
Oumar Tall (1797 - 1864), a prominent Timbuktu scholar and
leader. Scholars from the 12th – 19th centuries used the written
word extensively to guide leaders of multi-ethnic states
spanning vast areas of Africa. Their writings in Arabic,
influenced by traditional African thought and Islamic faith, are
especially relevant today for their treaties on tolerance and
peaceful means to resolve conflicts. At its height the
University of Timbuktu enrolled 25,000 students and spanned many
cities, 180 Qur’anic schools, and ambulant camps in the desert.
Conserving and reviving this African cultural legacy will dispel
myths of an illiterate past and reestablish Timbuktu as an
important African Intellectual and commercial center. In and
around Timbuktu, Mali, hundreds of thousands of peoples –
notably Tamashek (Tuareg), Songhay, Fulani,