A collaboration funded by the Volkswagen Foundation, under its Open Up — New Research Spaces for the Humanities and Cultural Studies programme.
The programme's wager
To “open up” is to take the first step into something new and unknown — the call backs small teams to explore entirely new research spaces, complex topics that need more than one perspective.
A different kind of tie in the present day. In April 2026, Togo's president made the first-ever state visit to Kyrgyzstan — diplomacy and trade now, where the 1960s links were religious.
République TogolaiseFaure Gnassingbé à BichkekFirst Togolese leader to visit Kyrgyzstan · 29 April 2026 · republicoftogo.com ↗AKIpress · BishkekKyrgyzstan and Togo sign accordsEducation, trade, health, digitalisation · 29 Apr 2026 · akipress.org ↗
How can AI-driven DH methods transform access to and interpretation of these collections — enabling new comparative methods for Islamic discourse across regions?
MIAFE ŊUTIFAFAFIA EYADEMA KPE TA KPLE MƆSLEMTƆWO FE ƉEKAWƆWƆ DƆDZIKPƆHA LA
Mia nɔvi Mɔslem hamea ngɔnɔlawo se nya xɔasiwo tso Togo yeyea fofo nu
«Woayra amesiwo léa avu la, elabena woayɔwo be Mawuviwo»
Enye Togo yeyea fofo avafiawodzifia Gnassingbe Eyadema fe didi vevi be amesiame nanɔ dzidzɔ kple ŋutifafa me lle yefe Denyigba la katã dzi, Dzre, fuéle kple mamãwo manɔ amewo kple habɔbɔwo domo o. Eyaŋuti dukplɔla Eyadema anukwaretɔ la lɔna ɖɔɖɔɖowo wɔwɔ edziedzi le dukɔmeviwo dome ɖo.
Ete ŋu dze edzi be miafe tatɔ nutefewɔla la do go kple mia nɔvi Mɔslem Hame fe amegãwo nyitsɔ le RPT fea me hena wodome nyawo sese,
Tototɔ kple dzre ɖo Mɔslem Hamea fe dɔdzikpɔha la me etefe didi. Ale mamã kple fuléle ɖo wo dome.
Le wofe anyinɔnɔa kple numeɖeɖeawo me na To o yeyea fofo vɔ megbe la, miafe ŋutifafa anukwaretɔ Eyadema ɖo asi Hamea fe dɔdzikpɔha la dzi elabenà ŋutif fa kple lɔlɔ̃ mele wo dome o
Eɖe nu me na Xɔsetɔawo be ɖekawɔwɔ kple ŋutifafa dim yele le yefe anyigba la dzi..,
Mlɔeba la dukplɔla la ɖo dɔléɖeasihaa ɖe, si me ame 17 le la na mia nɔviawo bena woadzra Mɔslemtɔwo fe takpekpe gã. si wɔ ge woala la le Lome le Dasiãmime 4 lia dzi la fe dɔwɔwɔwo ɖo,
Avafiawo Menveyinoyu Dzafalo, dũdɔnunɔla Lãmesẽ kple Hadomegbɛnɔnya-wogbɔkpɔla kple Ayaovi Asila, Togo tuakɔwo fe tatɔ kpeɖeŋutɔ hekpe ɖe dukplɔla fe dɔwɔfe dzikpɔla afɛtɔ Kpotivi Têvi Dzidzagbe Lacle ŋu woenɔ tatɔ Eyadema ŋu le Mɔslem Hamea fe nyawodɔdrɔ̃ me. Eye afɛtɔ Mama Fuseni kple Kasim Mensa, siwo nye Hamea fe bubu 'mewo la hã nɔ Takpekpea me nyitsɔ ma,
A standardised, read-only interface any AI assistant can call — Claude, ChatGPT, or open-source
Both collections behind one door; the data stays on our servers
AI skill · the intelligence
A curator's method, written down — search strategies, transliteration variants
Bias and gaps disclosed in every answer
Model Context Protocol · an open standard
Ask once, in plain language; the server searches both archives across eight languages — the same kind of connector that links an AI to Gmail, here pointed at a digital collection.
Claims cited back to a record — grounding curbs the hallucinations a bare chatbot invents
Exploratory — surfaces links across people, places and subjects the catalogue keeps apart
Read-only and verifiable — every call a lookup; the data is never handed over
Built — and where it's going
The IWAC server already runs, open source: github.com/fmadore/iwac-mcp-server. The goal: fold in the Eisener collection, then a public assistant on the project website, on an open-source model.
République Togolaise
Faure Gnassingbé à Bichkek
AKIpress · Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan and Togo sign accords
