Sands of indifference bury Mbeki’s Timbuktu dream - Times LIVE
▻http://www.timeslive.co.za/politics/2015/01/01/sands-of-indifference-bury-mbeki-s-timbuktu-dream
South Africa is about to close its Timbuktu trust fund - formally ending an era that began more than a decade ago with a trip by two presidents to the hot and dusty streets of the legendary Malian desert city.
The closing of the trust, through which South Africa channelled its aid for the preservation of priceless documents and artefacts, marks the final chapter for one of former president Thabo Mbeki’s proudest legacies.
In 2001, Mbeki travelled to Timbuktu on the edge of the Sahara desert, 1000km from Mali’s capital, Bamako. Hosted by the then Malian president, Oumar Konaré, he was deeply moved by the ancient manuscripts at the Ahmed Baba Research Institute but concerned that the institute lacked suitable preservation facilities.