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Climate Change and Conflict
The project culminated in community exhibitions held at all three museums, providing spaces where diverse communities could come together to celebrate, enjoy, and learn from their unique and shared traditions—both today and for future generations.
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Today, traditional leaders play important roles in environmental conservation. They enforce local customs that protect the environment, implement statutory laws to safeguard natural resources such as forests and rangelands, and plan areas for farming, animal corridors, and fire guards. However, competition for resources has escalated in recent years. Traditional mechanisms that once existed to resolve conflicts—such as intermarriages between neighbouring tribal groups to promote peaceful coexistence—have become strained. Additionally, Sudan’s population is increasingly young and urbanized. One area of public life where women have been deeply engaged, albeit with little official recognition, is in promoting peace at both national and community levels.
Climate change and prolonged conflict exert almost identical impacts on the environment. Both degrade or deplete natural resources, which in turn affects people’s livelihoods and ability to survive. Poverty and the environment are inextricably linked—human deprivation and environmental degradation reinforce each other. Environmental issues are further exacerbated by inadequate urban planning and a lack of safety regulations for businesses and industries, leading to pollution and environmental degradation.
Sudan's cultural heritage is under threat from multiple forces, including climate change. Across the world, climate change and global warming are making traditional ways of life increasingly uncertain. Material culture, intangible practices, traditional knowledge, and cultural landscapes play a vital role in helping communities adapt to extreme and unpredictable climates. However, these rich traditions are themselves threatened by the unprecedented challenges of climate change. Museums serve as institutions where heritage is preserved for future generations, and they have a role in helping communities understand the impacts of climate change and appreciate the value of their cultural traditions for climate adaptation.
Environmental education is not yet fully integrated into Sudan’s formal education system, except at the basic education level. In 2022, the Western Sudan Community Museums project, as part of efforts to protect Sudanese heritage, developed the Green Heritage Programme with funding from the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund. This initiative raised awareness about the effects of climate change on communities in Sudan and its impact on both tangible and intangible heritage. The programme included a series of workshops in all three museums, a study on the impact of climate change on the intangible culture of nomads in Kordofan, and a major survey of Darfur’s monuments to assess climate change’s effects on the region’s heritage. Conducted by the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM), the Afro-Asian Institute at the the University of Khartoum and the University of Nyala’s Darfur Heritage Department, the survey covered 180km and documented 12 major heritage sites in the Furnung, Tagabo, and Meidob Hills.
The project culminated in community exhibitions held at all three museums, providing spaces where diverse communities could come together to celebrate, enjoy, and learn from their unique and shared traditions—both today and for future generations.
Today, traditional leaders play important roles in environmental conservation. They enforce local customs that protect the environment, implement statutory laws to safeguard natural resources such as forests and rangelands, and plan areas for farming, animal corridors, and fire guards. However, competition for resources has escalated in recent years. Traditional mechanisms that once existed to resolve conflicts—such as intermarriages between neighbouring tribal groups to promote peaceful coexistence—have become strained. Additionally, Sudan’s population is increasingly young and urbanized. One area of public life where women have been deeply engaged, albeit with little official recognition, is in promoting peace at both national and community levels.
Climate change and prolonged conflict exert almost identical impacts on the environment. Both degrade or deplete natural resources, which in turn affects people’s livelihoods and ability to survive. Poverty and the environment are inextricably linked—human deprivation and environmental degradation reinforce each other. Environmental issues are further exacerbated by inadequate urban planning and a lack of safety regulations for businesses and industries, leading to pollution and environmental degradation.
Sudan's cultural heritage is under threat from multiple forces, including climate change. Across the world, climate change and global warming are making traditional ways of life increasingly uncertain. Material culture, intangible practices, traditional knowledge, and cultural landscapes play a vital role in helping communities adapt to extreme and unpredictable climates. However, these rich traditions are themselves threatened by the unprecedented challenges of climate change. Museums serve as institutions where heritage is preserved for future generations, and they have a role in helping communities understand the impacts of climate change and appreciate the value of their cultural traditions for climate adaptation.
Environmental education is not yet fully integrated into Sudan’s formal education system, except at the basic education level. In 2022, the Western Sudan Community Museums project, as part of efforts to protect Sudanese heritage, developed the Green Heritage Programme with funding from the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund. This initiative raised awareness about the effects of climate change on communities in Sudan and its impact on both tangible and intangible heritage. The programme included a series of workshops in all three museums, a study on the impact of climate change on the intangible culture of nomads in Kordofan, and a major survey of Darfur’s monuments to assess climate change’s effects on the region’s heritage. Conducted by the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM), the Afro-Asian Institute at the the University of Khartoum and the University of Nyala’s Darfur Heritage Department, the survey covered 180km and documented 12 major heritage sites in the Furnung, Tagabo, and Meidob Hills.
The project culminated in community exhibitions held at all three museums, providing spaces where diverse communities could come together to celebrate, enjoy, and learn from their unique and shared traditions—both today and for future generations.
