An odyssey of self-discovery

| Friday October 22, 2010 00:00

The other day I told a friend that I was going to Mali. Tongue-in-cheek, he said he would be going to Shakawe. He did not have to say it, but hear him say, Relax dude, you are not going to Paris or Miami!

I refused to be put down. I was thrilled. For me, the prospect of making sense of African history where we learnt about the great Mali kingdom was an inescapable temptation. The very idea of travelling to Timbuktu had a surreal effect on me. It would be an ego trip. Timbuktu, that gloss on any pan-Africanist's face. Timbuktu, the living example that Africans are not imbeciles but descendents of great innovators who knew and studied science, astronomy, governance, medicine and technology even before European colonisers came to the African shores.

The undertones of former South African President Thabo Mbeki's now famed 'I am an African' speech stirred at the back of my mind: 'My mind and my knowledge of myself is formed by the victories that are the jewels in our African crown, the victories we earned from Isandlwana to Khartoum, as Ethiopians and as the Ashanti of Ghana, as the Berbers of the desert. I am an African...'

The trip to Mali was not an easy one. There are too many stopovers. You start off from Gaborone to what has now been accepted as our regional hub, Johannesburg. From there you are on a more than an eight hour South African Airways flight to Washington DC via Dakar, Senegal. It is only in the wee hours of the morning, when you are exhausted, jaded and consumed by the long wait at Leopold's Sedar Senghor International Airport in Dakar that I start thinking of intra-trade between African countries - the good ideas of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).

Why does it take long to fly between African cities? Often the best way to fly from one end of Africa to another is via former colonial capitals like London and Paris. Well, after about eight hours waiting, we are on board Air Mali to Bamako. It is just a two-hour hop and Voila! we are in Bamako.

Mali just celebrated its 50 years anniversary. The road networks in Bamako compare with any in the world. Well designed, new and up to now they are well maintained. On the highways, Bamako is clean. Mali is not a rich country but Malians are industrious. There are as many cars on the road as bicycles and motorcycles. Even women in their stilettos straddle motorcycles to work. The only challenge is disposal of water, car washers littered along the highways and dirty water flowing indiscriminately.

Someone had described Malians as a humble people. I have seen Malians and I can swear they are the epitome of humility. They remind me of uncontaminated Palapye in the 1970s and 80s where people assisted strangers without expecting a reward. Yes, they still do that in Mali.

The weather around this time of year in Mali is hostile, hot and humid, but it could not stop African editors from converging here. There is an important business discussion. Media freedom is becoming an endangered species in Africa. Like Pavlovian beasts acting on cue, African leaders are narrowing down freedom of expression by promulgating statutes that criminalise media work or stiff penalties that make it difficult for media practitioners.Media workers have converged on Bamako, not just to lick their wounds but to compare notes to find out ways of restoring pride to the Fourth Estate.

It was not just doom and gloom, though. Media workers saw fit to reward African leaders, who during their reign have opened spaces for media freedom. Luminaries such as Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki were recognised for their efforts in opening and retaining media freedom. Comrade Jayzee, are you listening? Former President of Mali, Alpha Konare and John Kuffour of Ghana received awards from The Africa Editors Forum. The current President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf not only received an award but got a special mention for her groundbreaking efforts of signing Freedom of Information into law. I felt like a fly and envious that upstarts like Liberia, who only tasted democracy the other day should be getting democratic recognition ahead of Africa's longest surviving de-m-o-c-r-a-cy. SKI, why are you doing this to us?

As a stark reminder that African journalists work in unsafe environments, TAEF paid homage to and recognised African journalists killed by state agents and militiamen while doing their work. We were reminded of hostile working environments in Somalia. A Ugandan journalist characterised subtle repression of how the administration appoints yes-men judges that are known as 'cadre judges' to help stifle democracy and freedom of expression.

Going to TimbuktuThere are some striking similarities between Mali and Botswana. The two countries are landlocked. Like Botswana, much of Mali is arid. In Mali, the River Nile brings life to some arid areas. The government of Mali has chartered a plane to take about a hundred African editors to Timbuktu. In this group, we are accompanied by Professor Njabulo Ndebele of South Africa who, as the Chairperson of the Nelson Mandela Trust, had come to Mali to receive the award on behalf of the African icon who has now retired from public life. Professor Ndebele the avowed academic is making this trip to Timbuktu, a place which is known in history as the site of the First University in sub-Saharan Africa. I will not be guilty of embellishing if I were to add that Timbuktu is one of the very first universities in the world! It sounds like an oxymoron - knowledge in Africa in ancient times?

Professor Ndebele cannot hide his anxiety and anticipation. After an hour and five minutes, we touch down in Timbuktu. As you descend, sand dunes and shrubs are replaced by picturesque wetlands that give way to little oases; a replica of the Okavango Delta minus the animals. As the plane approaches the runway, the wetlands are replaced by bare sand, the kind you see as you venture deep into the Kgalagadi Desert. Unlike in the capital, Bamako, the weather here is hot and dry. Timbuktu is a town in the desert. No high rise buildings. Most buildings here are built out of mud and are built high from the ground to allow air to circulate - the same type of buildings you see on television as it beams settlements in Palestine. There is a feel of Islamic architecture about them.The people here are generally light in complexion. This is where the Tuaregs and Berbers are mainly found.

During the internecine wars that assailed this country, Timbuktu witnessed a fair share of the blight. Infact, Mali's Peace monument is in Timbuktu because this is where the various warring parties decided to lay down their arms and torch their guns. Today, the peace monument and the burnt guns are a testimony to the war that nearly tore the state of Mali asunder.

After a tour of the town, we finally arrive at the famous place that is the venerable repository and depository of ancient African manuscripts. These are ancient buildings of mainly strong mud. In some small rooms here lies the pride of Africa, manuscripts written by African scholars on diverse subjects. Our guide intoned: 'These volumes discuss many subjects - mathematics, science, astology, governance, health, even modern diseases. You are told that Africans knew nothing about issues of gender. No, these volumes discuss gender issues.'

Ahmed Baba, an African scholar who lived in the 14th Century, is known to have discussed issues of gender. While some of the manuscripts were written using ink, gold was used during wealthier times. A concern in our delegation is the preservation of these manuscripts. Although UNESCO has declared this place a World Heritage Site, preservation is still a concern. The manuscripts could be washed away in a flood or consumed in a fire. Former South African president, Thabo Mbeki came to the aid of Timbuktu when he built a restoration centre where the priceless manuscripts will be digitised and stored in electronic form. The centre is now complete but is not in use yet. Once the materials are moved to the restoration centre, it will make a huge difference.

Amongst our group is also a Professor of Journalism at Fort Hare. Being an academic, he says a trip to Timbuktu is a journey of African self-actualisation. I agree.

There is something fulfilling about Timbuktu, it feels like you have all of a sudden discovered a rich history of the parents you helped outsiders to despise. When you have been to Timbuktu, you feel and behave like a 'been-to', only that this time unlike the been to of the sixties and seventies who went to the diaspora , you have been  to the real African fountain of self-discovery and pride.