The Role of the Monk as a Guardian of the Memory

In August 2021, Fred Bahnson accompanied Father Columba Stewart, a Benedictine monk dedicated to preserving religious texts in zones of conflict, to Gao, Mali. One year later, Bahnson and Stewart reflect on their journey in terms both spiritual and tangible. Stewart tells the story of his life’s work and details the importance of digitizing texts—regardless of faith—and of forming human connections across religious boundaries to overcome historical bias and inaccuracy. Bahnson and Stewart delve into their shared interest in the role of memory in a digital world and the dangers that arise when we undervalue listening.

Read Bahnson’s story here: https://harpers.org/archive/2022/08/the-quest-to-save-ancient-manuscripts-gao-mali/

This episode was produced by Violet Lucca and Maddie Crum.

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