Word: africas
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...became the first director of Timbuktu's Ahmed Baba Institute, the main government-run research center, and who is now counselor on Islamic affairs to Mali's President. Zouber says he immediately realized the manuscripts' primary source importance. "Colonizers had always argued that they were here to civilize Africa," he says. "But there were many points of light. Clearly Africa was not living in obscurity...
...growing sense that the manuscripts are tangible proof of Africa's sophisticated history has inspired a series of projects to restore, conserve and keep them in Mali. A few of the 32 family libraries in Timbuktu have received foreign funding from institutions such as the Ford Foundation or governments such as those of Spain, Norway and Dubai. Six years ago, South Africa's government began the museum project to house the Ahmed Baba Institute's huge collection. Until now there has been no building in Timbuktu with the space or sophisticated temperature control in which to keep old documents. Curators...
...police claiming victory. But five years on and the militants are back, stronger and more vicious. In the latest outbreak of violence, in Maiduguri, the capital of northeastern Borno state, militant gunmen assaulted police stations and engaged armored-personnel backed troops. (Read "Big Tobacco Sets Its Sights on Africa...
...Africa's most populous country sits on a religious fault line. Its 150 million people are split almost evenly between Muslims in the north and Christians in the south. For many years, the northern Muslim élite have dominated Nigerian politics, using their positions to enrich themselves and their families. "We have seen this country degenerate from a promising state to a dysfunctional one. We have seen unmitigated corruption and insensitivity on the part of its rulers," says Mohammed Ndume, a federal MP from Borno state. "We are seeing a lack of opportunities and so much stress for its people...
...Islamist group is not the only threat facing Nigeria. The country is one of Africa's biggest oil exporters, and yet some 70% of its people live in abject poverty. A string of devastating attacks by militants demanding a greater share of the oil wealth in the Niger Delta, in the south, has reduced oil output by a third, hitting government revenues. This week's fighting will add to the sense that the government is losing control. "The government is no longer in control of the security situation outside the main cities," says a senior U.S. diplomat in Abuja...