Mali Magic Keynote: Dr. Abdel Kader Haidara with Kwame Anthony Appiah & Chance Coughenour, moderated by Natiba Guy-Clement
This conversation (translated and captioned live) explores themes of resistance and postcolonial history, while describing the incredible work of Dr. Abdel Kader Haidara in rescuing hundreds of thousands of manuscripts from jihadists in the North of Mali, what would have amounted to a sweeping cultural erasure. Dr. Haidara is joined by leading scholar Kwame Anthony Appiah. Chance Coughenour, Program Manager at Google Arts & Culture, provides an overview Google's Mali Magic digital platform. The conversation is moderated by Natiba Guy-Clement, Assistant Director, Collections and Public Service, Center for Brooklyn History at Brooklyn Public Library.
Together, they discuss the impact of the manuscripts on our contemporary understanding of world culture. We hear from Dr. Haidara about the process of saving the manuscripts, the partnership with Google Arts & Culture, which broadens access to the materials internationally. The talk will also cover the story of political forces and actors, and what these historical treasures mean to him, Malian culture, and a global audience.
This is a hybrid event presented live in-person and live-streamed. The live-stream will be available beginning at approximately 7:00pm on BPL Presents’ Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/BPLPresents/videos/
For all indoor BPL Presents programs, guests must provide proof of vaccination and wear masks while onsite at all times. In-person capacity is limited and will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis.
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