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DISCORD, MAYHEM CONTINUE

4/2/2017

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MALI – Rumblings, disruptions, and outright mayhem, as revealed in the headlines---

Despite continued French troop deployments, a U.N. peacekeeping mission, and years of peace talks, Mali remains beset by banditry, unrest, lethal Islamist attacks, plus the slow implementation of the Algiers Peace Agreement.
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▪ UN peacekeeper killed, eight others injured in Mali   
04 October 2016
(And 32 MINUSMA peacekeepers had been killed previously in that same year.)
▪ Five Malian soldiers killed by landmine between central Segou and Mopti.    12 January 2017
▪ Mali car bomb in Gao kills 77 and wounds 100 in fresh blow to peace efforts    18 January 2017
▪ Mali arrests two suspects in planned terror attack
28 January 2017
 ▪ Mali's state of emergency extended by 10 days
31 January 2017

Mali’s centuries-old method to reach peace through dialogue, tolerance, understanding and forgiveness is still a flawless strategy to resolve conflict.    Fighters from outside of Mali’s borders have triggered the internal chaos, but have not yet learned to apply this sage and useful wisdom.
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MALI SUCCUMBS, NIGERIA RETAINS FIFA UNDER-17’s WORLD CUP

11/12/2015

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​Estadio Sausalito, Vina Del Mar, Chile – 08 November 2015
The Score: Nigeria 2    Mali 0

Showing grace under fire, and demonstrating yet again the peaceful but determined perseverance that Mali has shown when facing fierce opposition --- whether in politics, social opposition, or football --- Mali’s Under-17’s yielded to Nigeria, but not without dedicated resistance.

This all-African final in the Under-17’s World Cup match between Mali and Nigeria in Chile on Sunday, November 8th, resulted in a disappointing loss for Mali.  Nonetheless, Mali’s 17-year-old front man, Boubacar Traore, remained positive, overall.  “I’ve really learned a lot here, from the coaching staff, my team-mates – who are also my friends – and our opponents as well. I want to work hard and earn the opportunity to play with the U-20 team, and then with the senior side,” said Traore.

FIFA described Mali as “reputable runners-up” and reported that “Mali’s impressive crop of players achieved much more than a historic runners-up spot at a FIFA event. Not only did they receive the acclaim of the Chilean fans, who supported them during the match and gave them a standing ovation after the final whistle, but their efforts were also recognized by the Nigerian players, who formed a guard of honor when their defeated opponents went up to collect their runners-up medals.”

For their prowess, Mali’s goalkeeper Samuel Diarra won the adidas Golden Glove award, and attacker Aly Malle was awarded the adidas Bronze Ball.

Meanwhile, the Nigerians celebrated their second successive FIFA U-17 World Cup Title, and their fifth overall, having beaten China in 1985, Japan in 1993, Korea in 2007, and UAE in 2013. 
 

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MALI TO FACE NIGERIA IN FIFA's UNDER-17 WORLD CUP FINAL

11/6/2015

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In what may be Mali’s most noteworthy event since the Peace Accord was signed last June by Mali’s Tuareg-led rebels with the Malian government, Mali reached their first ever FIFA Under-17 World Cup final after coming from behind to beat Belgium, three to one, on Thursday (05 November 2015).

Goals by Boubacar Traore, Sidiki Maiga and Sekou Kita led the Malians to victory.

The Mali team is travelling with their Coach, Baye Ba, to Vina Del Mar in Chile for an all-African final (only the second in Under-17 history) against the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria on Sunday.
 
Mali won the African Under-17 championship in March but did not face Nigeria in that competition.

While Nigeria has secured its place in the final for the eighth time in eleven attempts, Mali's teenagers are the first team in any age group from their country to reach a FIFA final.

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February 11th, 2015

2/11/2015

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HOW DID MALI GET WHERE IT IS TODAY?

2/11/2015

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Surrounded by bickering nations, Mali’s cultural adherence to its centuries-old practice of the peaceful resolution of conflict, found in the Ancient Manuscripts of Mali, has enabled this West African nation to survive.  This does not mean uninterrupted tranquility, however.  But when conflict does arise, the Malians bring all the parties together and talk the matter out until their disagreements are resolved.

Mali has not had an easy history.  After independence from France in 1960, Mali suffered several decades of droughts, rebellions, a coup, and 23 years of military dictatorship, until the country’s first democratic elections in 1992.

Twenty years later, Mali faced the triple blow of a military coup in Bamako and  -- bolstered by weaponry confiscated from the leftovers of the Libyan Civil War -- a takeover of the north by Tuarag separatists (MNLA) plus al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants (Ansar Dine, MOJWA, AQIM) who imposed extreme Sharia, destroyed ancient shrines and their contents, and then began fighting  amongst themselves.  Malians scattered in retreat.

In January 2013, French troops arrived (roughly 1200 remain today), and in July, 10,000 MINUSMA UN troops began to turn up (still in Mali today). In August, the country had, with their help, pulled itself together sufficiently to go to the polls, and Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta was elected President.  Malian refugees have begun trickling back, despite sporadic bursts of violence.

On February 10, 2015, the fifth round of the inter-Malian peace negotiations was scheduled to begin in Algiers.

This is an important moment in Mali’s history.



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MALI - Inspiring Students to Master the Art of Focus:  The Key to Success

12/10/2014

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  MALI - Inspiring Students to      Master the Art of FOCUS:               The Key to Success

“Tragedy is due to divergence and because of lack of tolerance … Glory to he who creates greatness from difference and makes peace and reconciliation,” —Timbuktu manuscript entry by El Hadj Oumar Tall (1797) 

Mali –- a little-known land-locked impoverished West African nation, roughly the size of South Africa and nearly twice the size of the State of Texas --- with a climate ranging from tropical in the south to arid desert in the north --- has for centuries been an incubator for exceptional education, religious tolerance, cooperation, moderation and pluralism, and has been an important American ally against the regional Al Qaeda franchise. 

Once Africa’s most stable democracy, Mali has in recent times faced (in rapid sequence) an insurgency, a coup d'état, a war among the insurgents, and French  military intervention, resulting in sudden and ongoing global media attention.  Most remarkable is Mali’s centuries-long ability to inspire each generation of scholars, known as Ambassadors of Peace, to faithfully pass their knowledge on to the next generation.    

This physically-inhospitable land is the astonishing source of nearly one million Ancient Manuscripts, written in the 12th through 16th Centuries, which have been passed down from generation to generation.  Influenced by traditional West African thought, these Manuscripts span diverse topics, including: architecture, astronomy, chemistry, healing, history, jurisprudence, legislation, mathematics, medicine, music, philosophy, religion, women’s rights, children’s rights, animal rights, and most important, the peaceful resolution of conflict through dialogue, tolerance, understanding and forgiveness.   Many of these Ancient Manuscripts remain today, though in precarious condition, and provide a priceless written record of African history that is little known anywhere. 

Timbuktu's "Golden Age" is echoed in its three great 14th- and 15th-century mud-and-timber mosques: Djingareyber, Sankore, and Sidi Yahia, which served as places of worship, education, and housing for the Ambassadors of Peace and other scholars. 

The Ancient  Manuscripts shed light on Mali’s previously-unknown educational and cultural history, and provide the foundation for teachings that for centuries have been passed down to the next generation by the scholarly Ambassadors of Peace.

SO . . . HOW can we most effectively spread knowledge of these Ancient Manuscripts, and in particular, the indefatigable FOCUS of the Ambassadors of Peace over successive generations, and their teachings about the PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF CONFLICT through DIALOGUE !

Survival of our planet may depend upon it. 

And that was the inspiration for “333” – our documentary film about Mali, the focus of their Ambassadors of Peace on teaching lessons from the Ancient Manuscripts, and the impact of those Ancient Manuscripts today on Mali, Islam, and the world.


Mali’s Fascinating History and its Manuscripts Inspire Focus

Now a mere shadow of its former glory, Mali’s legendary City of Timbuktu --- the "City of 333 Saints" --- once lay at the crossroads of world trade, from east to west, and north to south, rendering Mali one of the world’s wealthiest nations as well as the learning center for all of Islam, with twenty-five thousand students per annum, from many nations, attending the University of Sankore.  But as the camel caravans of the Golden Age were gradually replaced by ocean vessels, Timbuktu fell into economic decline.

Regardless, for nearly one thousand years, “Ambassadors of Peace” have met daily before sunrise in their “Circle of Knowledge,” to impart wisdom from the Manuscripts to their students. 

In order to become an Ambassador of Peace, the candidate must, by the age of 5, commit to study with the same teacher for 35 years.  By the age of 10, he/she must have memorized the Koran, and by the age of 40, must have mastered jurisprudence.  Then, each prospective Ambassador of Peace must go out into the streets to live as a beggar, in order to master humility.

That pattern of tenacious focus, followed for centuries by each aspiring Ambassador of Peace, will inspire youngsters everywhere.  And focus is the secret of success, whatever the topic. 

Once focus has been mastered, success will follow.  

The documentary film “333” shows Ambassadors of Peace, young and old, amidst their ongoing studies.  Surrounded by the Sahara desert and 110F degree temperatures ---   studying on scorching sands under the Sahara sun or atop a shuffling camel --- nothing impedes their focus on learning the contents of the Ancient Manuscripts. 

The five-minute Trailer of “333” can be viewed via the Website where you are now reading this, namely:

www.MalianManuscriptFoundation.org

Go to the heading “Who We Are” and then click on the photo of an Ancient Manuscript to the right of the first paragraph.

Let’s work together to SAVE THE WORLD !

 

Our FOCUS is now on YOU ! 

 

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THE RESOLUTION - THE BLOG

8/25/2014

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MALIAN MANUSCRIPT FOUNDATION

 
 as of this 21st day of August, 2014, is officially open   
 
And to this accompanying Blog:

 
FIRST AND FOREMOST:   A very special “THANK YOU” to:

● David West, whose fabulous photography is the foundation of our documentary film 333 and whose striking pictures grace the pages of this Website;

● Ritch Gaiti, for unending patient willingness to provide technical help to the uninitiated;

● Jim Goldsbury, a faithful and supportive friend;

● Kevin Kunz, for advice & encouragement;

And to each and every member of our superb Board of Directors, all of whom recognize the importance of the Ancient Manuscripts of Mali, and of the message shared with all who view 333.  Each Director has graciously provided ongoing recommendations, connections, introductions and advice, for which we are extremely grateful indeed.  And our Directors are:

● Lou Kerr, our founding Board member, for sagacious advice & invaluable connections;

● Sandy Gooch, for showing the way;

● Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, III, for guidance with humor;

● Richard S. Lukaj, for applying his intense energy to our conundrums;

● Esther Silver-Parker, for her enthusiasm, recommendations, introductions and advice;

● AND . . .  Michael D. Covitt, whose brilliant vision, imagination, dedication and determination have inspired this project from the outset.  Without Michael, too few would know about Mali’s centuries-long application of the Peaceful Resolution of Conflict through Dialogue, and Planet Earth would have missed this crucial recipe for its survival.

SINCERE APPRECIATION to each and every individual who has agreed to be quoted about 333 and the Manuscripts on the QUOTE Page of this Website.

ONWARD AND UPWARD !

Joni Lysett Nelson                          

Copyright © 2014 Malian Manuscript Foundation Inc.  All rights reserved.
           
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    Joni Lysett Nelson is a Member of the Board of the Foundation and an Advocate for the Peaceful Resolution of Conflict.

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MALIAN MANUSCRIPT FOUNDATION INC. - A Not-for-Profit 501 (c)(3) Philanthropic Organization 
ADVANCING A DIALOGUE FOR PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF CONFLICT 
Photos by: DAVID WEST