“Reviving The Past For Future Success”
by Nimat Shaheed-Jacks 

On September 14, 2002, in the Rotunda Building, 300 Frank Ogawa Plaza in Oakland Ca, Imam Musa Balde’, President and CEO of the Timbuktu Educational Foundation hosted their first annual fundraising dinner banquet. The theme for this historical event was appropriately entitled, “Reviving the Past for Future Success.” The evening’s event attracted over 300 guests from government officials to different community groups. Before the commencement of the dinner program, there was a reception for one of the honored guest, Cheik Oumar Diarrah, the current Ambassador of Mali. He re-emphasized the government of Mali’s support and endorsement for TEF’S project.

I first met Imam Musa after hearing about the monumental project that he was working on. Recognizing the importance of the project, I began to earnestly seek more information about his endeavors. He commenced by telling me the story of a lion. He said, “In my country since television is not the premiere object of entertainment, stories are lessons told to learn of the past.” He then shared with me an anecdote between a father and a son. “A father told his son of the wonderful strength and power of the lion. How the lion was the king of his domain and could not be defeated. The young boy was captivated by the strength and character of the lion and always held this animal in high esteem. Later in life, the young boy left his country and moved to America. Upon entering school, he began to hear more stories of the lion. But these stories were different. The lion was no longer strong and proud; in fact, the lion was defeated by the weakest animals.”

Consequently, upon returning to Africa, the son immediately approached his father. “Father, you told me that the lion was strong and unbeatable, but when I went to school in America, they said that the lion was weak and easily defeated. Father, how can that be?” His father consoled him by saying, “The lion appeared to be in a bad situation in America because, he, the lion, was not telling his own story. That someone else was telling his story.” Imam Musa continued by saying, “We must tell our own story about our history and our heritage, in order for the truth to be told about ourselves, we must tell it.” Thus, this is what the Timbuktu Educational Foundation’s quest is: to tell the stories through the preservation and restoration of priceless, ancient manuscripts that hold the knowledge of our past. They hold the stories of the lions, as told by the lions.

 Imam Musa didn’t stop there in his teachings. He continued by saying that women were very instrumental in the development of Timbuktu. He said that Timbuktu was a woman’s name – an African woman. Her name being translated as, “the woman with the exposed navel”. She being the trusted keeper of the water –well and of merchandise that the travelers would leave from one season to another, which resulted in established traffic and trade. In fact, the well is still there to this day, Imam Musa explains. In addition to that he told me, a woman funded the first university of Timbuktu. 

When asked about the formation of the project, Imam Musa answered in the following way. The Timbuktu Educational Foundation (TEF) was founded in 2000 as a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is to preserve and restore more than 700,000 manuscripts written by early African scholars from the famous Timbuktu Universities of Mali, West Africa. The manuscripts that date back to the 9th Century cover diverse subjects such as mathematics, optics, astronomy, medicine, science, history, geography, religious teachings, government legislation and treaties, jurisprudence, and much more. (These manuscripts have never been translated.). These volumes depict the highly advanced and refined civilization of early sub-Sahara Africa. Even before Europe’s Renaissance, Timbuktu flourished as the greatest academic and commercial center in Africa. Great empires such as Ghana, Mali and Songhai housed great talents, creativity and ingenuity of the African people. The universities of Timbuktu produced both African scholars and leaders of the highest character and nobility. They produced lions. 

He went on to say that, the first annual fundraiser is a part of a nation-wide campaign to promote awareness and support for the preservation and restoration of these historical treasures. And, that currently, these 700,000 manuscripts in Timbuktu and the surrounding cities are on the verge of being lost if appropriate action is not taken. Also, that as time passes, the documents are becoming brittle and unreadable. Without proper care, they are disintegrating with a single touch, and that volumes belonging to private families are being sold without regard for their historical, religious or cultural significance. 

TEF was granted sole guardianship by the government of Mali and officials from the city of Timbuktu for these manuscripts. Thereafter, a council and advisory councils were established consisting of government officials, scholars, and religious leaders, which included: Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, leader and spokesperson of the Muslim American Society, Chicago, Ill. Dr. Sulayman Nyang, Professor of African Studies, Howard University, Washington D.C., Dr. Hassimi O. Maiga, Director of Research, University of Mali, Africa, Dr. Joyce King, Provost of Spelman College, Atlanta, GA., Dr. Ali Mazrui, Director of Inst. Of Global Cultural Studies, Binghamton University, New York, Dr. Wade Nobles, Director of Inst. of the Advanced Study of Black Family and Culture, and Mahmoud Abdul-Raoof, NBA Player. 

The Banquet held on September 14th was well attended by various community members and the Timbuktu board of directors. All arrived in black ties or African apparel. The event was held fittingly in the Rotunda building in Oakland’s City Hall Plaza, which created an encompassing atmosphere that resonated with the drumming of New Africa Drummers, a youth group of the Clara Mohammad School in Oakland, led by Brother Rasheed Ali. In addition, the evening’s entertainment also included traditional African instrumentalist, singer and Malian cultural historian – Yacine Kouyate. Poetry was also recited by a young group of Muslims called, “Calligraphy of Thought.” The dinner was splendidly prepared. We partook of Senegalese Salad, Chicken Yassa, Vegetable Melange, Joloff Rice, with a wonderful dessert of fried plaintain and French ice cream with mango sauce. 

As the evening continued, proclamations were presented from several dignitaries including: Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s office and Governor Gray Davis’s office. Along with the city of Oakland, who proclaimed September 14, 2002 as “Save A Manuscript Day”. Imam Warith Deen Mohammed, who was joined by his astute son, spoke to the importance of the foundation and his father’s (Elijah Mohammed) vision of us (Africans and African Americans) joining together. Imam W. D. Mohammed also stated that, “this project is not only for the preservation of the manuscripts but also a vehicle to unite, restore, and heal souls of families and to restore the history of African people.” He commanded the participation and contributions of everyone, especially those of African descent. 

The evening drew to a close with Imam Musa sharing a power point presentation on the foundation and its objectives. He quoted one of the African scholars by saying, “Knowledge is universal and internal but it has a social cultural stamp. It also has a purpose and a commitment to a particular worldview. It therefore cannot be neutral.”  

The evening was more than a success, it was a historical event. Highlighting leaders and community persons traveling from around the world making visible their support for this great endeavor through words and deeds. Likewise, TEF needs your support too! Your financial support and your expertise! Help us tell the story of the lion to our children. Let us speak of the strength and character of our communities. Let us take our history and heritage left for us by our ancestors and restore it so that we may hear and learn from our past. We cannot stop now! For further information regarding this project and the foundation reference, please visit our website at www.timbuktufoundation.org. You can also send your tax-deductible donations to:

Timbuktu Educational Foundation, P.O. Box 222, Alameda CA 94501