Ismaël Diadié Haïdara
Ismaël Diadié Haïdara | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ismaël Qutti March 1957 Bajinde, Tombouctou Region, French Sudan (now Mali) |
| Occupation |
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| Nationality | Malian |
| Alma mater | National Institute of Arts, Bamako |
| Notable works | Creation of the Fondo Kati library Jews in Timbuktu |
Ismaël Diadié Haïdara, also known as Ismaël Qutti, is a Malian poet, writer, and librarian who founded the Fondo Kati manuscript library in Timbuktu, Mali.
Biography
Haïdara was born in March 1957 in Bajindé, Tombouctou Region, French Sudan. He descends from the famous Timbuktu historian Mahmud Kati, who wrote the Tarikh al-fattash history of the Songhai Empire.[1] In his own words, Haïdara was expelled from the Tin-A-Ten Nomade School for failing to pass the exam moving him from sixth grade to seventh grade. He obtained his diploma in 1972 on his third try of schooling.[2] Haïdara wrote his first verses of poetry at age 20, becoming a member of the Writers' Union of Mali and the Artists' Union of Mali.[2]
Haïdara graduated from the National Institute of Arts in Bamako majoring in Dramatic Arts.[2] After his studies in Bamako, he worked at the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuku. While working there, he discovered his lineage to Mahmud Kati, and that his father was adopted by a Haïdara, hence the name.[3] By interviewing elders in and around Timbuktu, Haïdara discovered that his Jewish heritage had been hidden in fear of persecution.[3][4] In response, Haïdara created the Zakhor foundation in 1993, meaning remembrance, and the Timbuktu Association for Friendship with the Jewish World, which is composed of descendants of Malian Jews and is dedicated to researching the Jewish history of Mali.[5][6]
Haïdara founded the Fondo Kati manuscript library in Timbuktu, and along with his wife have catalogued around 13,000 of his family's private manuscript collection.[7][8][9] Zakhor disbanded early on in the Mali War after the Fall of Timbuktu, when Ansar Dine and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb seized control of the city.[8] Haidara and his collection survived the burning of manuscripts conducted by the Islamists; him and his wife hid the books among clothes and smuggled a number of the manuscripts south.[10] Haidara fled to Spain following the fall, and continued his work digitizing manuscripts.[11]
References
- ^ Polgreen, Lydia (August 7, 2007). "Timbuktu Hopes Ancient Texts Spark a Revival". New York Times. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Portrait of Ismael Diadie Haidara". Afribone. August 24, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ a b "Timbuktu". Kulanu. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ Reading, Jean Moreau (2011). "Synergies: Monde Mediterranie" (PDF). pp. 282–292. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ "Mali Virtual Jewish History Tour". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ "Zakhor". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ "Ismael Diadié Haïdara catalogues some of the thousands of ancient manuscripts in his family's private manuscript library, the Kati Foundation". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ a b "After Islamist Threat Repelled, Spotlight Hits 'Jews' of Fabled Timbuktu". The Forward. 2013-02-22. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ "Fall 2004, Northwestern Magazine". www.northwestern.edu. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ "Old Families Keep the Secret of Timbuktu's Manuscripts". Naharnet. 2 March 2013. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
- ^ "Fondo Kati". University of Cape Town. Retrieved April 18, 2024.