I mean, I should concentrate on being a London Artist, or on trying to write My Book. But I continue being tied so closely to Mali, and life somehow is still circling around Mali...
I spoke to Father Columba a couple of days ago. And last night during a late night telephone conversation on the no 7 bus after a splendid concert at the Wigmore Hall I asked him whether we couldn't go back and do some more work in Djenné instead of trying to expand our work in the increasingly impossible Timbuktu, he said YES! let's do it! I had shown them some beautiful manuscript which have accumulated in Djenné in the last year and a half after the British Library projects finally came to an end. They have been brought in by local families and are by far superior to the scrappy bits of manuscritps which were presented to us in Timbuktu. So he agreed, and I will b going back to my beloved Mali to set up yet another project in Djenné maybe even in a couple of weeks! There is much more to say about this, but prefer not to for reasons of diplomacy and security...
Good news. What's the illustration?
ReplyDeletehello David, sorry, just saw this.. It is from a frequently encountered text called the "Dalā'il al-Khayrāt wa Shawāriq al-Anwār fī Dhikr al-Ṣalāt alā al-Nabī al-Mukhtār.", which consists of prayers to the Prophet Mohammed. This manuscript is often illuminated. Here is a common illustration of the Grave of the Prophet, with the Sandals of the Prophet in prominent central position. These sandals are always very important and pops up time and time again...
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