Sultan Urges Scholars to Preserve Manuscripts on African Heritage

Olawale Ajimotokan

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III, has urged the preservation of manuscripts on African history and heritage to correct the European perspective of the continent, appreciate its contribution and worth to humanity.

He made the appeal yesterday during the symposium on the Islamic African Heritage: ‘Memory and History’ held in Abuja by the King Mohammed VI Foundation of African of Ulamas.

The Sultan, who is the President-General Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, said the symposium was particularly important as it would broaden and sharpen the search for more manuscripts in Africa and present a milestone towards the quest to chart a course that is befitting its legacy.

“Indeed, history gives every society its worth. It tells us our routes, documents and the achievements of our forefathers and sets the standard for us to maintain and improve and give us the direction of our future. This symposium will help to inform intellectual and political discourse in Africa and clarify the cloud of ignorance that appears to becloud most discussions,” Sultan said.

He noted not many people recognised that Islam brought literacy to Africa 1,000 years before Europeans colonised the continent, while before the advent of the Europeans and missionaries, there was a level of literacy not any lower than Europe.

He stressed there existed a trove of manuscripts in private collections, universities, public libraries, and research centres in the country, adding in all, three leading Sokoto scholars had produced an astonishing total number of over 300 works, excluding nearly 86 different works of Nana Asmau, the daughter of Usman Dan Fodio, the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate.

In his address on behalf of the General Secretariat of Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulamas, Dr. Si Mohammed Rifki, described the seminar as a concrete step towards the fulfilment of one of the Foundation’s objectives to implement the proposals and recommendations adopted by the members of the committee for the revival of the African Islamic heritage, with all its chapters.

He said King Mohammed VI of Morocco wanted to make the Foundation of African Oulema a prominent platform for the preservation of the faith and its provisions, including the specificities of the heritage of African peoples.

In his remarks, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Muhammed Musa Bello, thanked King Morocco for choosing Abuja as the host city of the symposium, the first time it would be held outside Morocco. He added the occasion will further cement the bond between Nigeria and Morocco.