The Timbuktu Manuscripts was inspired by the vast archive of historical manuscripts that document a golden era of Malian culture, when, between the 13th and 17th centuries, Timbuktu was a major centre of wealth and Islamic scholarship. Writers such as Ahmed Baba covered a wide range of religious, scientific and other topics, which often placed particular emphasis on peace, tolerance and conflict resolution, for which Mali has become known. In 2012 Islamist (Tuareg) rebels took over Timbuktu, putting the fragile manuscripts at grave risk. Many citizens hid the manuscripts in the walls of their houses. A coalition of library officials, bus drivers, taxi drivers, and canoers, lead by Dr. Abdel Kader Haidara, dramatically smuggled them through dangerous checkpoints to safety in Bamako.

Griswold has woven together fragments of this story with fragments of translated text from the Timbuktu Manuscripts, quoting historic scholar Ahmed Baba, and scholar-traveller Leo Africanus. Timbuktu’s instrumentation includes multiple flutes, voice, multiple percussion including water phone, ghatam, frame drum and prepared vibraphone, offering a vibrant mysterious tonality to this beautiful story set in Mali.