In 1964, one of the most devastating events in Nubian history took place. The construction of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt flooded more than 27 Sudanese villages alongside the city of Wadi Halfa, displacing over 50,000 Sudanese Nubians. What followed was an irredeemable loss of ancient Nubian heritage that had extended over thousands of years.
In an attempt to salvage what was left of the Nubian monuments, Sudanese and Egyptian governments collaborated with UNESCO to transfer archaeological artefacts elsewhere. The campaign was named Monuments of Nubia-International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia.
There was disagreement inside Nubian communities, between those who accepted the governmental proposals and those who firmly rejected them. In Khartoum, for example, there were several attempts to combat the drowning of Nubian lands. Protests attended by several prominent Nubian figures, most notably Sudanese icon and singer Mohammed Wardi, commenced, but to no avail. Even after the filling of the dam was complete, a great part of Nubian songs mourning the loss were created. The popular song written by Egyptian poet and songwriter, Mustafa Abdelgadir, and sung by the popular Sudanese trio Al Balabil was “The Boat Set Sail” (“ⲃⲁ̄ⲃⲟ̅ⲩ̅ⲣ ⲕⲟⲩⲥⲟⲛⲁ/Babour Kusona”) tells the story of the poet as he travels to Aswan and figures out his village has been submerged underwater.
Egyptian Nubians were transferred to Kom Ombo, 30 miles north of Aswan. As for Sudanese Nubians, they were moved far east to New Halfa, 35 miles north of Khashm Al Girba. The new settlements, however, were vastly different to what Sudanese Nubians were used to in regard to climate, crops, job opportunities and even culture and language. With such exposure to a drastically new environment, Sudanese Nubians were under a severe need to adapt to their new surroundings, not only physically and emotionally, but also linguistically and culturally. Many uneducated Sudanese Nubians were pushed into unfamiliar lines of occupation, most prominently, grazing cattle, which was a shared field with many of the rural Arab tribes. Such occupations introduced many phrases from Arabic language to the Nubian lexicon.
Usage of Nubian language, Nobiin, extends back to the third century BC succeeding the dying Meroitic language of the former Meroitic kingdom. It started as a spoken language but became also written in the sixth century AD with the spread of Christianity in Nubia and the urgent need to translate religious texts. Language is defined as “the system of spoken or written communication used by a particular country, people, community, etc., typically consisting of words used within a regular grammatical and syntactic structure.”
The Nubian language is divided into two closely-related dialects with extensive similarities in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation: Mattokki-Andaandi spoken by Kenzi and Dongolese Nubians, and Fadicca-Nobiin spoken by Mahas and Halfawi Nubians.
The role language plays in formation of one’s identity cannot be understated. It is a way of connection between members of a community, but most importantly, a way of transmission of heritage intergenerationally. It is a means of mobilisation of an entire community and controlling the dominant narratives in that community. Controlling the language of a community results in controlling the relay of information and its transmission in said community. According to sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, language serves as a symbolic power and a means of control and imposing cultural and political hegemony, where the dominant language users possess an advantage over those who are not users of said language.
With the imposing of Arabic language as the official national language in Sudan, Nubians slowly started adopting the new language, as it was taught in schools and used in governmental bureaus. Other factors that boosted the reliance on Arabic was the constant migration and immigration of Nubians to the capital, Khartoum. With the continuous decline in services in the region, many immigrated in search for better conditions, and what started as migration of families’ bread winners was soon extended to all members of the family. Certainly, the centralised governmental system that prioritised the centre, aided the impoverishment of Nubian regions. Therefore, feelings of marginalisation inside Nubians were precipitated. A huge factor that pushed for even more displacement was the drowning of Wadi Halfa, a city that previously served as a huge social, cultural and economic hub, now submerged under the waters of Lake Nubia.
Such disregard to the linguistic pluralism in the region greatly disadvantaged upcoming generations of Nubians who were eliminated from the cultural webbing and created a disconnect between generations who were caught in a crossfire of needs, either preservation of the linguistic heritage or assimilation into the new nationalist model.
In an attempt to gain the advantageous educational and job opportunities, older generations opted to limit the use of Nobiin to the confines of the household. The third generation of immigrants from Nubian lands, therefore, lack the ability to use the language in complex vocational and literary contexts, with some even unable to speak the language. With the abandonment of the language, a huge cultural range of songs, folktales, legends, poetry, traditional rituals and proverbs are being lost.
Nonetheless several movements were established to combat the extinction of Nubian heritage and language. The resurgence is led by efforts of Nubians everywhere, most notably, in Sudan, Egypt, the UAE, and the US such as The Nubia Initiative, a US-based Nubian diaspora initiative that runs trans-boundary projects on Nubian cultural preservation and sustainable socioeconomic development efforts.
Another organisation leading the movement is the Nubian Language Society (NLS). The Nubian Language Society (NLS) is a non-governmental organisation registered officially in the US. NLS engages fully in the study, documentation, and promotion of the Nubian languages and culture. It is led by Nubantood Khalil and produced a Nobiin learning textbook for English speakers.
Among others that seek to revitalise Nubian heritage is Nubia Project, an initiative that was established in 2008 by retired Sudanese Ambassador Nuraddin Abdulmannan, also known as Nuraddin Mannan, Khalid Gerais (Tanut Amon), Fagiri Gawish, and Mayada Kandaka Mannan-Brake. The project aims to resurrect and preserve Nubian culture, while also cementing a secure future for Nubians. They have established Nubia Day, which coincides with 7 July to raise awareness of Nubian language, people and culture, in addition to their anti-damming movement that opposed structuring dams along the Nile in the Nubian region.
There have been several artists and writers who impacted the movement of revitalisation of Nobiin, including Sudanese poet and singer Ramey Dawoud, who authored the first children’s book for teaching numbers in the Nubian language. The book, which is available for free online on Taras Press website, was a part of a larger initiative called Geri Fai Omir, which also included a book teaching Nubian reading, a book teaching Nubian writing, and a bilingual storybook in Nubian languages. Using sound cues and illustrations, he created Nabra’s Nubian Numbers, a unique and engaging book for children, which is illustrated by none other than The Sudanist’s own Hatim Eujayl. With the establishment of such efforts, seeds of hope are being planted in the Nubian community. These initiatives will help the attempts to preserve the endangered Nubian culture and language.
As he ventures into this brave new world ahead of him, 2005-born Muathal Hisham tries to reflect on the experiences he encounters through poetry and prose. An aspiring bilingual essayist who aims to reinvent the way literature, art and music are interpreted, Muathal provides a thrilling dive into regional and international cultures, with the hope it might inspire positive change in his community. When he is not writing, Muathal is often busy video editing or studying for medical school at Ain Shams University. Find him @muathall on Instagram or visit his blog on Medium at @Muathal.
