ML148472
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Media notes
Subject 1: (Interview). Subtitle: Issa Mohammed. Timecode In: 00:00:08. Timecode out: 00:36:19. Notes: Timbuktu Heritage Institute. Subject 2: (Interview). Subtitle: Hogon Samba. Timecode In: 01:00:48. Timecode out: 01:44:56. Notes: Dogon culture and beliefs; translated by Roberto Cerea. Equipment Notes: Decoded MS Stereo. Show: Mali Log of DAT #:19A Engineer: Leo Date: January 28, 2003 S = Hogon Samba IM = Issa Mohammed R = Roberto Cerea WD = Wade Davis CR = Chris Rainier AC = Alex Chadwick CJ = Carolyn Jensen Leo = Leo del Aguila 0:24 AC-Issa, you were working¿what job did you have when you first came back to Mali to kind of try to decide on something new? What were you doing in the United States then? 0:38 IM-Um, that time I created my own corporation. 0:43 AC-That was Amtech 0:44 IM-That is Amtech Africa. Yes, American Technologies for Africa, um-hm. 0:55 AC-And how long had you been running that firm when you came back? 0:59 IM-Um, I had been running Amtech Africa since 1998. And this is, um, and import-export management corporation. As well as a consulting corporation. 1:19 AC-And before that you had worked for Cingular One and for another company, I've forgotten¿ 1:27 IM-Yeah, before that I worked, uh, I worked for Cellular One. And that's in, uh, San Francisco. Uh, back in 1988, 87-88. Um, and I had the privilege to be part of a team that promoted cellular phones for the first time in the Bay area. 1:53 AC-And, um, and you worked for them about, and you created Amtech Africa in 1998? 2:03 IM-Yes. 2:04 AC-And then when was it that you, you told your wife at one point, 'I'm not happy doing this, I want to go back to Mali and look around'. When, when, was that 2000? 2:16 IM-Yeah, this is, uh, back in 2000. I looked around and, um, by the way, Alex I'm very happy of your opportunity to be a Tuareg that had the chance to educate himself in America. So, I am largely grateful to America, I have to be this way. I met with very beautiful, interesting people who have made things, uh, very easy for me, um-hm. However, at a certain point I really asked myself what's meaningful for me in life? And this is where my whole cultural heritage started surfacing and this is where I spoke to my wife and I said that, um, I feel that I need to do something. I need to somehow, something that will connect my experience in America with the needs of the people back in Africa, back in Mali. 3:43 AC-Did you know about all the manuscripts in Timbuktu, then? 3:47 IM-Uh, actually, I had an idea about the legacy of Timbuktu because before going to the United States I worked, my profession was I was teaching history and geography so I had that knowledge of Timbuktu, uh, but I did not realize the complexity and the amount of volumes of manuscripts in Timbuktu. It was in 1999 when I went to Timbuktu on a pilgrimage that I stumbled upon this entire legacy. 4:29 AC-How did you find it? 4:31 IM-Well, that's really the, um, the most, uh, interesting and amazing part. As I said I went to Timbuktu on a pilgrimage in 1991, I mean 99, so the minute I walked in to Djingareyber, this is the biggest masjid, the biggest mosque, and it also used to be part of the university of Timbuktu¿ 4:57 AC-So it's the mosque, the biggest Islamic mosque in Timbuktu? 4:58 IM-Exactly, in Timbuktu, Djingareyber. So, I was there and suddenly the Imam, or the religious leader of the masjid, of Drahamana Siuti walked toward me and said that, 'we know that, um, God is going to send us some help'. And suddenly he started showing me the manuscripts, the Circle sites. And Djingareyber is one of the, um, world heritage sites, which has been classified by Unisco as a cultural heritage site. So this is how we went around the city and he started presenting the other, um, private libraries, and then we wen... (Notes truncated)
Technical information
- Recorder
- SONY TCD-D7
- Microphone
- Sennheiser MKH 30; Sennheiser MKH 50
- Accessories
Archival information
- Cataloged
- 8 Mar 2010 - Ben Brotman
- Digitized
- 5 Mar 2010 - Ben Brotman
- Edited
- 8 Mar 2010 - Ben Brotman