I am in the middle of preparing the new proposal to the British Library for the Major Project with the Djenne manuscripts. The deadline is the 5th November.
Keita is worried, and Ace is worried and they want me to forget about it. There are some tensions in town. The Imam has pulled out of the Djenne library and built his own- see above. This could lead to a situation of partisanship- either with the Djenne library or that of the Iman.
I am really not interested in local politics and infighting, but I am interested in the manuscripts. If all goes well the funding from the British Library will benefit everyone.

I will proceed as usual with my little team of Samake from the Mission Culturelle and Garba and Yelfa the two library archivists, trained during our pilot project. While we wait for the finance to come from London, I have promised them that two months of their salaries will be paid by MaliMali, beginning the first of November. When this idea was first aired, there was some scoffing at the thought of MaliMali (which is perceived as a bogolan co-operative, and thus something women do) getting involved in something as serious and ‘manly’ as the Djenne Manuscript Library...
The funding of the library salaries by MaliMali will now have the incidental effect of raising the status of our little association in Djenne, which is a very status minded town.