Built as a peace gesture in 2006 but closed for 10 years due to conflict, Sudan’s Darfur Museum in Nyala is among three historical sites and monuments newly restored and opened to the public. It stands alongside Sheikan Museum in El Obeid plus the Khalifa House and Bramble House in Omdurman as crucial hubs for the protection and documentation of traditional Sudanese artefacts and ways of life.

“We wanted to reintroduce them as community museums so we conducted interviews, workshops and researched the history of the areas to help make the content more relatable to the communities,” says Zainab Gaafar, head of Studio Urban, a local multidisciplinary firm hired amongst an expert team of architects, surveyors and environmental scientists. The ambitious four-year project was rolled out in three phases and made possible by a grant to the Western Sudan Community Museums (WSCM) by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund in partnership with the UK’s Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport.

Taking stock of a combined horde of over 3,500 artefacts with gems such as Kerma pottery dating back from 1802-1649 B.C. and a collection of prehistoric hand axes, the team had each one recorded, assessed and cleaned. A new conservation lab was established at Bramble House to repair damaged objects. Construction and restoration work to the building structures was equally thorough. Beyond practical upgrades to visitor facilities including air conditioning and toilets, further consideration was put into making protections against flooding as the areas are severely impacted by the rages of climate change. The WSCM team was keen to retain as much history as possible while also taking inspiration from the rich nomadic pastoralist culture. Albelmunim, a ship builder from Khartoum, engineered tent structures at Khalifa House and Darfur Museum that had a woven covering made from polyester upholstery straps similar to traditional angareeb beds.

Focus was also placed on strengthening staff capacity to manage the museums and a series of new temporary and permanent exhibitions were designed at each venue. Gaafar recalls a particularly interesting one presented at the Darfur Museum with insights from university students. “They did a fascinating project. The students went to where they came from and documented different living heritage items and industries and brought back items to be exhibited,” she says.

However, the team was cognisant that the communities referenced were both already familiar with the items and much more knowledgeable about them. “The challenge was how to reintroduce these items to them through the exhibition. How could we add different value to these everyday objects so that there was new appreciation or sparking of a conversation? This was achieved by creating new linkages between different objects that people didn't necessarily think of,” she says.

The museum experience was also enhanced and explored through the use of technology such as graphics and augmented reality to show historical buildings in inaccessible places. Led by International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) in partnership with Mallinson Architects and the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums of Sudan (NCAM), the project helped preserve the museum’s collections digitally as well as develop a collection of short films on women’s heritage, camel culture, traditional dance and museum-making.

Each opening of the revamped sites was marked by pomp and vibrant colour. The WSCM team was keen to gain a diverse range of insights and brought in school children, musicians, artists, university professors and families that had history related to the museum. Gaafar says, “They wanted to see what different groups of people would want to see and how they reacted.” Indeed, one of the successes of this people-centric approach could be seen in how one community member decided to donate his camel saddle to be part of the exhibition permanently.

Published on 20/07/2022