On the right of me is Badra Dembélé, one of the Djenné town councillors. On the far left is Babou Touré, another town councillor and also part of the Library Committé and one of my two advisors and collaborators on the digitization project. On the left side of me is Hasseye Traoré, Grand Marabout de Djenné and President of the Library Committé.
We are looking quite happy- that is because we are about to hand over a copy of the hard drive with the 150 000 images from the last two years work at the Djenné Manuscript Library to the Archives Nationales in Bamako.
At least twenty people had come all the way from Djenné for the ceremony, as well as many of the Djenné population that now reside in Bamako.
There was Phil Boyle, the British Ambassador who handed over the hard drive to the Director of the Archives Nationales and there was in the audience the new Swedish Ambassador Eva Emneus. So I was spoilt by the ambassadors of both 'my' countries!
more pictures on https://www.facebook.com/DjenneManuscriptLibrary
I did make a speech and I was later interviewed by the Guardian - a very nice chap called Charlie. I told him by the by that I had been cross with some of the Guardian's coverage of the Mali crisis... I hope he went off to check 'guardian' in the blog search above...
...and then this morning I had to get up at 6.30 to go across town and see a journalist from the BBC- I was live on the World Service on something called News Day, talking about the Djenne manuscripts!
And now on to the next reason why I am in Bamako: tomorrow's SANTA, the Christmas fair. Rush Rush Rush!!!
posted by toubab at 5:28 PM
8 Comments:
What can be more elegant than a lady toubab in a boubou, or whatever YOU'RE wearing. It could be a poster for a film, no need to airbrush.
Sure that wasn't World Service Newshour? I was on that too this week, got dragged back in to Broadcasting House after a cough and spit telly appearance to be told I had to expand on my act. If it's Newshour it's downloadable. I'll check out the website.
hello Darling.
No it was definitely called Newsday.Can u check? It is supposed to have quite a lot of people listening- a few millions or so!
And thank you! I am also wearing an hand embroidered Djenné boubou! xxx
Congratulations! I've been enjoying the photos on Facebook, and this one is smashing, too. Happy holidays!
Gotta go to bed now, but found the programme you mention - it's on at 7am so no wonder I've not encountered it. Will eventually comb it for your contribution but in the meantime if others want to pursue - and I guess you can't do it in Djenne - it must be on this one:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01mxt71
You can find the interview from 52.20 into the sending.
Thanks for providing the shortcut, Pelle (is that Cousin Pelle?) You sound wonderful as always, dahling, but - 'one of the driving forces'? Aren't you THE driving force? Nice little slot, anyway - he asked the right questions...
xx
so glad that Pelle found it! thank you! And yes it is cousin Pelle, David!
I suppose I wil listn too it when I get back to Europe...
xxs
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