Amadou Hampâté Bâ

Amadou Hampâté Bâ (Fula: 𞤀𞤸𞤥𞤢𞤣𞤵 𞤖𞤢𞤥𞤨𞤢𞥄𞤼𞤫 𞤄𞤢𞥄, romanized: Ahmadu Hampaate Baa, 1900/1901 – 15 May 1991) was a Malian writer, historian, and ethnologist. He was an influential figure in twentieth-century African literature and cultural heritage. A champion of Africa's oral tradition and traditional knowledge, he is remembered for his 1960 address to the UNESCO General Conference in which he urged the preservation of Africa's oral traditions, declaring: "I consider the death of each of these traditionalists as the burning of an unexploited cultural fund" ("Je considère la mort de chacun de ces traditionalistes comme l'incendie d'un fond culturel non exploité"). A later formulation using the word bibliothèque emerged during a 1962 UNESCO Executive Board exchange. Quotes In Africa, when an old man dies, it is a library burning. I consider the death of each of these traditionalists as the burning of an untapped cultural fund. There is my truth and your truth, but the truth lies in the middle. To approach it, each person must detach themselves a little from their own truth to take a step towards the other. Writing is one thing and knowledge is another. Writing is the photographing of knowledge, but it is not knowledge itself. Knowledge is a light which is within man. It is the heritage of all the ancestors knew and have transmitted to us as seed, just as the mature baobab is contained in its seed. Listen! Everything speaks, everything is word, everything seeks to communicate a knowledge to us. If you think like me, you are my brother. If you think differently from me, you are twice my brother, for you show me a new perspective. We must never forget that human beings can reach a common goal without taking the same paths. As long as a person keeps intolerance in their heart, they are their own prison, regardless of their label. He who asks for too much may be annoying, but he will not die ignorant. It is always in the name of freedom that we dominate our fellow human beings. It is men who dominate or enslave the masses, using ideas whatever they may be, political or religious. Regret nothing; you will always have to continue learning and improving yourself, and it is not at school that you will be able to do so. External links Category:1900s births Category:1991 deaths Category:Authors from Mali