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www.savenubia.com

 The mission of the committee is to preserve the
 Nubian heritage in the Nile Valley Summary:

The American Committee for Nubian Heritage is a Group of persons
centered in the Western Hemisphere who are concerned that the building
of new dams on the Nile will displace tens of thousands, severely damage
the Nile and destroy a heritage of vast importance. It believes that
leaving the inhabitants of Nubia in their current homes, leaving the
Nubian environment undiminished, and preserving the historic heritage of
the country in place is of great importance to the world. It seeks to
engage governments, international agencies, activist organizations and
individuals to oppose constructions that would deeply damage not just
Nubia but also Sudan and Northeast Africa.


Introduction:

The Egyptian lower dam at Aswan displaced some people, but it was the
High Dam, closed in 1964, that started the momentum to build large-scale
dams on the great rivers of the Middle East.

These have displaced thousands of people, destroyed vast amounts of the
human heritage and significantly damaged the environment. In these
projects, the people displaced were not consulted, their consent was not
sought, and adequate compensation and favorable resettlement was not
given.

Instead the affected people were either just displaced, packed off to an
unknown fate, or put into compounds in barren areas that resembled
confinement as much as a settlement. The Nubian diaspora particularly
had a negative effect, with increases in illness and drops in life
expectancy among the results. With consequences in the three areas of
human rights, environment and heritage, such dams should engage
organizations concerned with all three areas; if the actions in on are
not the worst possible, the results in all three are horrific. The dams
of northern Sudan have been an off-again, on-again issue for many years.
Real momentum for multiple dams got under way in the '90's under the
current government and a Dams Implementation Unit was established that
is now a ministry. Besides the
huge dam and reservoir at Hamdab (Merowe), dams have been planned at
Dal, Kajbar, Shereik, and Mograt as well as the Sixth Cataract on the
Nile.

In addition, there is also a dam on the upper Atbara. A series has been
planned on the White Nile, but the problem is mooted by the separation
of the country. The Dal and Kajbar projects have not been pursued with
the consistent public vigor, as was the case of Hamdab, because both
early on generated major local opposition, culminating in deaths at Sabu
near Kajbar. By the end of 2010, however, contracts were let for Kajbar,
Shereik and Atbara and there has been word of survey for Dal. (Sources
were found by web searches that turned up news of the contracts and job
postings for the work at Kajbar.) Throughout, the Sudanese government
has been vague and indirect, moving suddenly, then retreating, at least
once, just as suddenly.

 Who we are:

 The Committee Co-chairs:

 James P. Allen
 Wilbour Professor of Egyptology,
 Brown University

 John Coleman Darnell
 Professor of Egyptology,
 Yale University

Members: Colleen Manassa Associate Professor of Egyptology, Yale
University  keW. Benson Harer, M.D. former Adjunct Professor of Egyptian
Art, California State University San Bernardino

Contact for the Committee: Bruce Williams bbwillia@uchicago.edu

 mailto:bbwillia%40uchicago.edu


 What can be done:

 Join us in contacting anyone who may be able to
 Influence the Sudan Government. Circulate this to friends and
colleagues.
 Share your ideas how we may further pursue this work. Contact us
 to be listed as a supporter of the committee's work and for

 Further information.

 Business Week:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/african-energys-new-friends-in-chin
a-09082011.html

 Older information, but detailed:
http://www.sudan-forall.org/Anti-Dal-Kajbar-Dams_Executive-Summary.pdf

 The last three entries in a blog is concerned
 With this threat to the landscape, people, and antiquities of the
Middle Nile Valley:

http://medievalsaiproject.wordpress.com/2011/03/01/archaeology-and-dams-
on-the-nile-merowe-dal-and-kajbar/

 International Association of Egyptolotists and Appeal:
 http://www.iae-egyptology.org/

 A Petition
 http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-the-dams-in-sudan.html

 Descriptive article:Hafsaas-Tsakos, Henriette, Ethical implications of
salvage archaeology and dam building: The clash between archaeologists
 And local people in Dar al-Manasir, Sudan, Journal of Social
Archaeology 11
 (2011), 49-76.

Prof. MANU AMPIM
http://www.manuampim.com/africana_profile.htm