The branch of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Scholars in Mauritania celebrated, in a meeting it organized on Saturday evening in Nouakchott, the participants whose works were selected in the Foundation's competition for manuscripts, documents and research on Islamic-African heritage memory.
The results announced during this meeting resulted in the selection of the manuscript "Guidance of the Trustworthy on the Appointed Guide" by its owner, Sheikh Ibrahim A'diya (manuscript category), and the Mushaf of the Sidy Abidin Kunti Library by its owner, Muhammad Ould Sheikhna (Mushafs category), and "The letter of Sheikh Sidi Muhammad bin Sheikh Sidi Al-Mukhtar to Al-Aqib bin Al-Taher" by its owner, Sayyid Omar Ould Saydna (heritage documents category). The head of the specialized committee that oversaw the competition, Muhammad Al-Mukhtar Ould Al-Saad, explained that the selected works will represent Mauritania in the final continental qualifiers in which 48 African countries compete, noting that the assessment of the participating works was based on specifications and standards primarily related to the originality of the manuscript, its age, its importance in its field, its freedom from defects, the quality of its calligraphy, and the materials of its manufacture. The head of the committee affirmed in a speech during this meeting, which was attended in particular by the Secretary-General of the Mauritanian Ministry of Culture, Sidi Muhammad Jaddou Khatri, and the Ambassador of Morocco to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mr. Hamid Chbar, along with a delegation representing the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Scholars, and the head of the Foundation's branch in Mauritania, Sheikh Boon Omar Li, that consideration was also given to the specifics of the local reality of manuscripts and the cultural history of the country. For his part, the head of the branch of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Scholars in Nouakchott, Sheikh Boon Omar Li, stated that this competition "represents a sound royal vision in supporting scholars and reviving Islamic-African heritage, and building solid bridges for cooperation between the sons of the one continent under the umbrella of the tolerant Islamic values", highlighting that it "revealed the richness of Islamic African heritage, and brilliant scientific efforts and precious treasures (…)". Sheikh Omar Li confirmed that the Foundation forms a dialogue forum between African scholars "in order to cooperate on preserving the common religious constants, calling with wisdom and good advice, and consolidating the rules of moderation and combating extremism and extremism." For his part, Mr. Muhammad Najib Binbin, from the delegation of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Scholars, pointed out that this competition "revealed rare handwritten books by distinguished Mauritanian scholars who authored in various Islamic and Arabic sciences and whose production had a great impact on enlightening the intellectual arena in these areas." In a speech on the occasion, he expressed his pride in the strong fraternal relations that bind the Kingdom of Morocco and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, "reinforced by the common keenness of the leaders of the two countries, His Majesty King Mohammed VI and His Excellency President Muhammad Ould Al-Sheikh Al-Ghazaouani, to weave and develop cooperation in a way that serves the interest of the two brotherly peoples." For his part, the Secretary-General of the Mauritanian Ministry of Culture praised the efforts of the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Scholars to preserve and protect Islamic-African heritage, "foremost among them the competition of African-Islamic heritage manuscripts and documents, which represents a major scientific and cultural initiative that inspires from the past the spirit of knowledge, from the present awareness of responsibility, and from the future, renaissance and renewal." The Mauritanian official affirmed that these efforts are in complete harmony with his country's vision, "which aims to preserve the national heritage, enhance cultural identity, and revive the historical memory of the country," considering that the celebration of manuscripts at this meeting "is a celebration of the nation's memory, and a recognition of the merit of scholars, copyists, and researchers who have spent their lives serving the book, preserving knowledge, and transmitting it from generation to generation." The competition of manuscripts, documents and research on Islamic-African heritage memory is part of the annual programs implemented by the Mohammed VI Foundation of African Scholars, along with competitions in the Holy Quran and the noble Hadith, and solidarity activities during Ramadan in most African countries. (And with)
