Algerian Radio
The Minister of Culture and Arts, Malika Bendouda, received owners of Khizanate (traditional libraries) and representatives of manuscript safeguarding institutions in Algiers on the sidelines of the International Manuscript Symposium (June 15–16), a ministry statement indicated on Wednesday.
This meeting provided an opportunity to listen to the concerns of representatives from 50 Khizanate and manuscript safeguarding institutions, focusing notably on the preservation, protection, and promotion of manuscript heritage. It also allowed for an exchange of views on ways to strengthen efforts aimed at safeguarding this precious cultural legacy, according to the same source.
On this occasion, Ms. Bendouda emphasized the ministry's determination to support Khizanate and specialized institutions, and to accompany initiatives for the preservation, cataloging, and digitization of manuscripts, in order to guarantee their conservation and make them accessible to researchers and future generations.
For their part, the library representatives expressed their gratitude for the interest shown by the Culture sector and the country's high authorities in manuscript heritage.
Welcoming the organization of the International Manuscript Symposium, the Khizanate owners considered this event "a major scientific platform for the exchange of expertise and experiences," notably thanks to the participation of a significant number of Algerian and foreign experts and researchers specializing in manuscript heritage.
They noted that this forum strengthened "Algeria's position as a space for dialogue and cooperation regarding the preservation and promotion of manuscript heritage."
Around fifty Algerian researchers and foreign experts presented papers on manuscripts, in addition to 87 professors and researchers from various universities and research centers who took part in this Symposium dedicated to manuscripts, according to the statement.
The event was also marked by a strong presence of national cultural institutions, alongside representatives of public libraries and museums.
Furthermore, representatives of high-level Arab and international organizations took part in this symposium, notably the Director General of the Arab World Institute (IMA), the Director of the Institute of Arab Manuscripts, and the Director of Cultural Heritage representing the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO).
The symposium provided an essential opportunity to highlight the current state of manuscripts, with the participation of nearly 120 Khizanate representatives, thereby opening new prospects for the protection and promotion of this rich heritage, the statement concluded.
