African art rocks the world at digital library

Mr Matsuura welcomed the library as a “great initiative that will bridge the knowledge divide, promote mutual understanding and foster cultural and linguistic diversity.”

The project also hopes to expand the volume and variety of cultural content on the Internet, provide resources for educators, scholars and general audiences, and narrow the digital divide within and between countries by building capacity in partner countries.

The library functions in seven languages — Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish — and includes content in more than 40 languages.

Browse and research features facilitate cross-cultural and cross-temporal exploration on the site.

There are vivid descriptions of each item and video, with expert curators talking about selected items.

The library was developed by a team from the Library of Congress.

Technical assistance was provided by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina of Alexandria, Egypt.

Among those contributing to the library are cultural and educational institutions in Brazil, Egypt, China, France, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Other treasures featured include Arabic scientific manuscripts from the National Library and Archives of Egypt; early photographs of Latin America from the National Library of Brazil; the Hyakumanto darani, a publication from the year 764 from the National Diet Library of Japan; the famous 13th century “Devil’s Bible” from the National Library of Sweden; and Arabic, Persian, and Turkish calligraphy from the collections at the US Library of Congress.

Billing first proposed the creation of a digital library to Unesco in 2005, saying such a project could “have the salutary effect of bringing people together by celebrating the depth and uniqueness of different cultures in a single global undertaking.”

“Unesco welcomes the creation of the digital library,” Mr Matsuura said.

Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, Unesco’s Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education and chair of the Qatar Foundation, said: “Universal education is the key to international understanding. It helps people appreciate other cultures.”

The National Library of China contributed manuscripts, maps, books, and rubbings of steles and oracle bones that span Chinese history.