I was just reading about the timbuktu manuscripts again and came across this cambridge journal articles where they examine 32 of the mansucripts libraries. Apparently a lot of the manuscripts ( this study looked at 300,000 manuuscirpts) aren't full manuscripts but 1 or 2 folios which are really just pages and most of it is anonymous and there are lot of duplicate works . And most of them seem to be from the 20th century. Reading the article is kind of depressing but it does explain why it feels like nobody has put as much time as you would expect if there really was hundreds of thousands of complete manuscripts. I also noticed this when I looked at the ethiopian manuscripts in the hmml collcetion in which the majority are 19-20th century. I've honestly come full circle when it comes to african history. It's crazy how much shit is just exaggerated.