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| Africa Horn |
| Destruction of Sudanese libraries |
| 2023-05-21 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics. Absolutely heartbreaking. [ColonelCassad] LIBRARIES ON FIRE IN SUDAN The war in Sudan threatens to destroy intellectual heritage and historical memory. The fire completely destroyed the library of the Muhammad Omar Bashir Center for Sudanese Studies at Al-Ahliya University in Omdurman, which contained many rare books, documents and manuscripts accumulated over decades of its existence. Photos of empty bookcases covered in ashes have appeared on the Web. There is a growing possibility that military action could destroy all the major libraries and archives, especially since most of them are located in areas where intense fighting is taking place. Fires are burning near the 5 largest libraries in Sudan, namely: ▪️The National Documents Center (archive), established back in 1916 by the British administration. The building is located about 300 meters west of the General Command of the Armed Forces in the east of Khartoum. This real treasure trove of written heritage contains many important publications, paper newspapers and documents of particular value to historians. ▪️The Library of the Republican (Presidential) Palace, located on the territory of the government palace, for which there are battles. Keeps within its walls all kinds of documents related to the management, administration and political history of Sudan from the time of colonialism to the present day. ▪️The National Library, located on Al-Jumhuriya Street, not far from the Republican Palace and the building of the General Command of the Armed Forces in the center of Khartoum. ▪️The Sudanese Radio Library, located at the headquarters of the National Radio and Television Authority in the city of Omdurman. Includes rare recordings of speeches by political, artistic, literary, sports and public figures, as well as a collection of Sudanese songs from all times. ▪️The National Museum, which includes libraries and rare antiquities, located to the west of the Presidential Palace. According to the director of the Al-Ahliya University in Omdurman, Professor Al-Mutasem Ahmed Al-Haj, the fire completely destroyed the collections of the Center for Sudanese Studies. An electronic archive was never created, and digitized copies of books and manuscripts do not exist. For his part, Sudanese writer and prose writer Mansour al-Suwaym said that there is hope for private initiatives to move rare documents and books from library buildings to safer places. However, it is not a fact that the transportation of collections fully guarantees their safety ... https://t.me/arabicafrica/9352 - Wangyu zinc Under the pretext of destroying libraries, some "burnt" valuable books and manuscripts will emerge in Western private collections and auctions. We have already gone through all this in Libya, Syria and Iraq. Sudan fared poorly under Al-Bashir. But now he is doing well. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #1 The Burning of the Library of Alexandria |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2023-05-21 23:26 |