Seminar Nigeria : Arabic manuscripts in West Africa

The Department of Arabic Studies at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria is proposing an international seminar together with the International Academic Union on: Arabic manuscripts in West Africa: Their preservation and publication.

It will be held at the Department of Arabic, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria from Monday 7th June to Sunday 13 June 2010, and the languages of the Seminar will be Arabic, English and French.

Here’s the information about the Seminar from their advertisment. Please note the last date for submitting abstracts of papers is 31st March:

Introduction.

Arabic manuscripts in West African region became an area of serious attraction after Accra Conference to African Anglophone countries when some decisions were taken which consequently resulted in establishing the University of Ibadan in 1948; with a view to exposing the life of the inhabitants of the area and resuscitating their civilization. The authorities did not hesitate in implementing the decisions reached at by exploiting the available Arabic sources which serve as the data bank of the history and culture of the inhabitant documented in Arabic since the time they began recording the glory of their ancestors for the attainment of the citizen’s goals.

Ironically, these books are still in manuscript forms neglected in corners,  looted sometimes , distorted in some instances and frozen in some instances. Despite the above obstacles some patriots have taken upon themselves to collect, comment and edit the works at different levels. The area which suffers great set back is their preservation, typing and publishing them, which has become very necessary. From the 31st January to 3rd February 2007 an international conference was held at the institute of research in the Humanities (IRSH), Abdou Moumounii University of Niamey. The theme of the conference was “The African Manuscripts as Historic Sources” organized in collaboration with International Academic Union. The conference gathered eminence University personalities and researchers of diverse horizons of knowledge from France, Slovakia, Hungry, USA, Australia, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria. It was decided at the end of the conference that, the venue of the next conference will be at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto Nigeria.

It is in this light that a determination to organize this international seminar was born, so that ideas and ways to go about exposing these manuscripts exchanged. This we hope to achieve by Allah’s grace.

Aims of the Seminar

• Bringing to light the academic and intellectual efforts made by our predecessors.
• Enabling researchers to undertake their work effectively.
• Connecting the past to the present by acknowledging sources as part of academic honesty.
• Exchanging ideas among people whose culture is in Arabic with a view to evolving enlightened thoughts.
• Equipping Arabic library with materials in science, literature, rhetorics, thought, etc as contained in these documents.

Themes of the seminar:

• Arabic Manuscripts: concept and terminology.
  • Beginning of Arabic manuscripts, and their development among the Muslim Ummah
  • Improving the preservation of Arabic manuscripts among the Muslim Ummah
  • The role of Arabic manuscripts in fostering academic linkage among the Muslim Ummah.
• Arabic manuscripts in the intellectual renaissance era.
• The idea of cataloguing Arabic manuscripts.
• Emergence of Arabic transcription in West Africa.
• Ajami transcription in West Africa and its role in documenting sciences.
• Rules and orthography of Ajami in West Africa.
• Disappearance of Ajami transcription and its revival in the area.
• The relationship between Arabic and Ajami transcriptions.

Introducing Arabic Manuscripts in Nigeria.

• Centres of Arabic manuscripts in Nigeria and key personalities.
• Stages of collecting manuscripts in Nigeria and the extent of their success.
• Factors responsible for assessing Arabic manuscripts in Nigeria namely:
  • Scientific and cultural factor.
  • Literary and technical factor.
  • Political and economic factor.
  • Social and civilisational factor.

Book writing on Nigerian Arabic culture in the following areas:

• Anthologies of  poets and poetesses.
• Collection of Nigerian male and female orators.
• Collection of Mutarassilin mutarassilat.
• Intellectual perspective.
• Civilizational perspective.
• Social perspective.

Presentation of school books on the following topics:

• Grammar and morphology.
• Language and its sciences
• Literature and texts.
• Rhetorics and criticism
• Lexicography
• Culture and civilization.

Evening functions:

• Poetic display.
• Oratorical display.
• Dramatic display.

How to Submit an Abstract

Interested participants should send abstracts with name, institution, Email electronically to reach the following, on or before 31st March 2010:

i. athanee11@yahoo.co.uk
ii. sumusa1@yahoo.co.uk

Submission of Seminar papers :
Participants should send their papers to the addresses mentioned above, on or before 30th April 2010.

Programme of Events
Day I:          Monday 7/6/2010
Registration, opening ceremony and lead papers presentation.

Day II: Tuesday 8/6/2010
Plenary sessions.

Day III:        Wednesday  9/6/2010
Plenary session continued.

Day IV: Thursday 10/6/2010
Book Fair
Closing ceremony and dinner

Day V : 11/6/2010
Visits to special places e.g.:

i. The Sultanate Council of Sokoto, and its historic monuments.
ii. The palace of the Emir of Kebbi and its monuments
iii. Wazir Junaidu History and Culture Bureau.
iv. Manuscripts library of C.I.S. of UDUS.
v. Wazir Junaidu Personal library.
vi. Alkalawa the defunct capital of Gobir Kingdom, Kiyawa, Silame, and Gwandu monuments

Day VI & VII :  Saturday and Sunday  12th and 13th June 2010: Departure.

Wassalam alaikum,

�������..               �������.                �������
Prof. S.W. Junaidu              Prof. A.S. Agaka                Prof. S.U. Musa
Chairman Seminar                Chairman Drafting               Secretary
Coordinating Committee  Committee                       Sub- Committee

Suggested Books (US)

• The Hidden Treasures of Timbuktu: Rediscovering Africa’s Literary Culture
• A New Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford: Volume I: Arabic Mansucripts on Medicine and Related Topics (pre-order)
• Arabic Literature of Africa: The Writings of Eastern Sudanic Africa (Handbook of Oriental Studies)

Suggested Books (UK)

• The Hidden Treasures of Timbuktu: Historic City of Islamic Africa
• A New Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford: Volume I: Arabic Mansucripts on Medicine and Related Topics: 1
• Arabic Literature of Africa: The Writings of Eastern Sudanic Africa to c.1900 v. 1 (Handbook of Oriental studies)