It is Saturday, which means that I have once again had my time honoured little weekly meeting 'at' the Djenne Manuscript Library with Babou Toure, left above and Garba Yaro, right, the archivist. They are seen here on the roof of the library during the recent crepissage, the yearly mud plastering. The mosque is visible in the distance.
For many years this Saturday meeting happened in 'real life' and I used to get on my little Yamaha motorcycle and travel the short distance from the hotel to the library to meet up with them and discuss matters arising. Since March we are of course once more up and running, this time with HMML, the Minnesota Benedictines rather than the British Library, so our weekly meeting has kicked off again.
I speak with the whole staff on WhatsApp one by one: Babou walks around so that I feel as if I am there with them. I say 'I NI SOGOMA' -good morning- to Moktar the guardian in the courtyard. It is really almost like being at home!
After a difficult couple of years to begin with in 2009 and 10, we now trust and respect each other and we are the best of friends. They know that I am 'on their side', and that I will do all I can to promote the library and find them funding etc.
That cannot be said about the Timbuktu project unfortunately... Without going into details that could harm the ongoing project, it is undoubtedly true that Timbuktu's attitude to our project is very different, and probably due to the fact that Timbuktu is so much more famous than Djenne, and is used to being granted money and projects, whereas Djenne is more or less forgotten, and I should guess that our current library project there is one of the only externally funded projects that is currently up and running in the town.
Part of the Timbuktu team is seen sitting here outside the Essayouti Library, hoping to be let in last week, after a two week break. The library had closed down since one of the staff had tested positive for Corona virus and the Essayouti family had sadly lost a couple of family members to the disease.
My flight to Mali which was booked for July has been cancelled and I have changed it for the beginning of September, on the first available Air France flight.
I do not have much hope for its eventual publication unfortunately. Even if it were considered good enough, it is the wrong climate at the moment- no one wants to read about a white woman's experiences in Africa. Someone in the publishing world told me to rewrite it from Keita's point of view- that is not going to be possible and to me it would seem the height of fake. But Pelle, my cousin, came up with an interesting suggestion- maybe I could give a voice to the people who worked at the hotel?What did they think if it all? What are their memories? At the moment it is only my memoir. But it could be expanded perhaps? I am going out in September inchallah- I could speak to them all- Boubakar the gardener, Baba the waiter, Mamane the barman, Papa the chef- what do they have to say? And then it would not just be the thoughts of this white woman...?
