"In 2012, under threat from fundamentalist rebels, a team of archivists, librarians, and couriers evacuated an irreplaceable trove of manuscripts from Timbuktu at great personal risk. The manuscripts have been saved from immediate destruction, but the danger is not over. A massive archival effort is needed to protect this immense global heritage from loss.
"Though removed from immediate threat, the manuscripts are still jam packed in footlockers used for their evacuation and the current environment of this precious world heritage is significantly more humid than Timbuktu. There are already signs of damage and exposure to moisture.
"The purpose of this campaign is to fund the preservation effort required to store the manuscripts in an archival, moisture-resistant manner during their exile from Timbuktu. If physical harm from the current packing situation continues and if mold and mildew spread in the corpus due to increased humidity, the damage will be devastating."
You can read more about the project on their Indiegogo campaign:
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/timbuktu-libraries-in-exile/x/761158?c=home...and after prodding they are accepting bitcoin for donations:
1KFNd93GHyNWy36UfqGtTriv733Xs7eXMVPlease look at their funding campaign, their video, and consider sending some bitcoin. This is a written literary tradition that is in danger of being destroyed by short-sighted fundamentalists. It's not every day that a few bit-cents can make a difference to the repertoire of human traditions.
