Discover the Wonderful Nubian Art

Nubians take their love for music with them wherever they go; during the long train or bus rides through arid landscapes the common songs provide a pleasant entertainment. As most voyages are done by ship, the captain of the vessel - whether it is a Nile felucca, a motor boat or a passenger ship - used since old times to entertain his passengers playing music and singing well-known songs.

Nubian art has withstood and survived many obstacles; in an effort to unite their people, in Sudan former governments led massive Arabization campaigns, during which music and songs from Nubia and other ethnic minorities were banned from public broadcasts. As many young Nubians left to the major towns for study or work, they were partly cut off their artistic heritage. Nevertheless, when ships came to Khartoum and the South with passengers from Nubia, singing their beautiful songs, Sudanese people from other regions came to the border of the Nile to hear them. In Southern Egypt two thirds of the Nubian lands were flooded after the construction of the Aswan High Dam, which drowned many Nubian villages under the rising Lake Nasser. Some of the inhabitants were relocated in villages far from the Nile river into arid landscapes and crammed villages, and they had to struggle to survive. Their songs acquired a new purpose. While old Nubian songs mostly glorify love, mutual affection, life wisdom and ethics or speak about work or longing for their loved ones who travel far away, Nubian songs became a stage to lament the loss of their villages and beautiful nature, the lands which carried all their memories and the roots of their livelihood, and to vent their anger and disappointment. Patriotic songs now mixed with traditional ones - and they are part of the songs played at wedding parties or other festivities.

It is Nubian art - and foremost music and songs - that allowed Nubian culture, language and traditions to survive. Even Nubian communities scattered all-over the big towns in the extended region, in surrounding countries and far away countries cherish their link to each other and to their mother lands. Foremost in Nubian regions themselves - but also wherever there are Nubian clubs and communities, artists gather in artistic sessions during which they share their songs and discuss the improvement and spread of their art. Some young Nubians are influenced by modern instruments and foreign music types, and some fuse them into rhythmic displays that keep few features of traditional Nubian art. Singing mostly in Arabic, they have large followings among the Egyptian and Sudanese youth.

From time to time concerts are organized by the various Nubian artists, many of whom recruit young men and women who form troupes and train to perform amazing dances, adding many elaborate and coordinated movements to the traditional ones. Nubian dance groups - even children groups - wearing traditional costumes are also displaying their art during various events, festivals or television shows, raise awareness for the culture of this people who has long been the victim of neglect even inside Egypt and Sudan - due to the lack of knowledge and racist connotations. Even in industrialized countries that have been focusing on Egyptian and Middle Eastern history for centuries, the Nubian heritage has long been denied. Only recently, thanks to amazing discoveries by archaeologists in Southern Egypt and Northern Sudan, Nubian history and heritage have been recognized and are gradually making their way into history books

Broader availability of the Internet is an essential means to tie links between Nubians dispersed over extended areas. Much efforts have been made to encourage young Nubians to embrace the art of their ancestors and to learn the Nubian language - as many families have abandoned it after leaving the Nubian regions. Many Nubian initiatives to teach the language, traditions and visual arts and to display Nubian heritage in museums and touristic villages as well as applications and websites all contribute to finally restore the noble Nubian art to its deserved praise and admiration. Take a journey on our website to share and enjoy with us the excitement, joy and deep feelings Nubian art can provide!