THE LIBRARIANS OF TIMBUKTU: 

THE Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu, by journalist Joshua Hammer, tells the incredible story of Abdel Kader Haidara — a mild-mannered archivist and historian from the legendary city of Timbuktu — who organized a successful effort to outwit Al-Qaeda and preserve Mali’s greatest treasures in 2012. 

In this Ancient History Encyclopedia (AHE) exclusive, James Blake Wiener speaks to Joshua Hammer about Haidara’s life and work, in addition to the importance of Timbuktu’s ancient manuscripts.

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Tinariwen - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)

Niger

the Sahel

William Klein - La Fête de l’Indépendance, Dakar 1963

Ancient Khoisan (San) Tribe (by InternalizedConflict)

Independent Documentary “Bushman’s Secret” By Rehad Desai. Rehad Desai travels to the Kalahari to investigate global interest in ancient Bushmen knowledge, he meets Jan van der Westhuizen, a fascinating Khomani San traditional healer. Jan’s struggle to live close to nature is hampered by centuries of colonial exploitation of the San Bushmen and of their land. Unable to survive as they once did hunting and gathering, the Khomani now live in a state of poverty that threatens to see the last of this community forever. One plant could make all the difference. Hoodia, a cactus used by Bushmen for centuries, has caught the attention of a giant pharmaceutical company. It now stands to decide the fate of the Khomani San. Bushman’s Secret features breathtaking footage of the Kalahari landscape, and exposes us to a world where modernity collides with ancient ways, at a time when each has, strangely, come to rely on the other. Evicted from their ancestral lands, forced to abandon their native languages, and left to fend for themselves in a state of brutal poverty on the fringes of South African society, the Bushmen now face further exploitation, since the hoodia cactus (a source of food and medicinal healing) is being taken from their remaining lands by the conglomerate Unilever for use as a dubious weight loss product (ironically, Unilever also claims to be the “world’s largest ice cream manufacturer,” surely a contributing factor to obesity). Despite an agreement signed with the South African government for profits from the harvesting of hoodia, the Bushmen have yet to enjoy any financial returns. Bushman’s Secret serves up a shameful indictment of contemporary South African government, which would sooner kowtow to multinational corporate demands than provide basic services for its own people. Highly recommended.

Peter Billingsley, director Bob Clark, and Ian Petrella on the set of A Christmas Story (1983)

1910s

“Indian woman and owl, Blind River, Ontario”

N´Djamena, Tchad

Spring Bursts Among the Toubou in Libya’s Desert

Since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, the Toubou people have experienced freedom which was not afforded to them during the dictator’s brutal Arabisation campaigns which sought to eradicate indigenous cultures in Libya.

“Ours is a race against the clock for which we do not have any help from the Libyan government. Still, we are pleased with the results so far,” — Abdel Salam Wahali, Toubou language teacher

FULL STORY: http://bit.ly/1ewMxq0

(Source: ipsnews.net)

Salif Keita - Mandela

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 years."

Tofino | Mozambique

Leslie Ann O’Dell

Henk Bos

Still Life with Fruit

20th century

Faces of the Kalahari #1

2001-10 F18 (by Fouderg)

Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chad

(via kuriositas)