Sultan of Sokoto: Africa needs fresh ideas for its rejuvenation
He made remarks on Friday during the symposium on the Islamic African Heritage: Memory and History held in Abuja where he advised African countries to look inward in the hiding treasures of wisdom of its past to get solutions to the challenges facing the continent.
The Sultan noted that Islamic heritage in Africa was very
rich and deep, adding that there was a huge collection of manuscripts in
private, public universities and libraries and research centers.
“At a time where Africa needs fresh ideas for its
rejuvenation, we need to look inward in the hiding treasures of wisdom of our
past.
“This will enable us to get the impetus to chart a new course
that will address and solve the many problems facing us today.
“I am confident that in the rich legacies of ours, we shall
find that which our grandfather’s found which made them build the great empires
of the great of the past and contributed to humanity like all other civilizations.”
In his address on behalf of the General Secretariat of
Mohammed VI Foundation of African Ulamas which organized the symposium, Dr. Si
Mohammed Rifki, said that the seminar was a concrete step towards the
fulfilment of one of the Foundation’s objectives, in keeping with the pledge 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 the Foundation paid
tribute to Nigeria which is steep in history and which boasts a rich cultural
heritage as well as many prestigious libraries, universities and scientific
centers by hosting the meeting in Abuja.
The event, was attended by about 500 participants from about
30 countries and was aimed discovering the African Islamic heritage, its
components, and its stages of development and the contributions of various
environments, among many other objectives.
The meeting also aimed at the preservation of African Islamic manuscripts in particular, through the identification of their nature, centers, the problems and dangers that threaten them and the ways of promoting and preserving them from deterioration and loss.
