Africa 24 Media Photography

Nubia is the land of one of the earliest black civilizations, with a history which can be traced back from the 2000 B.C. It’s situated in Sudan with about a quarter of its territory in Egypt. Most of Nubians, as the people from the area are now known, live in Northern Sudan. The so-called 'Black Pharaohs' from Nubia ruled over Ancient Egypt as the 25th Dynasty. The Nubian people, now mainly Muslims, still live in the region. However, the villagers are facing displacement by the being constructed Merowe Dam, a US$ 1.8 billion hydropower project being built on the Nile in Sudan.

The 174 kilometer-long reservoir will displace an estimated 50,000 people from the fertile Nile Valley who will be resettled in ready-built concrete settlements in the middle of desert. The main purpose of the dam will be the generation of electricity. Its dimensions make it the largest contemporary hydropower project in Africa. Merowe, rich in pyramids and other landmarks is a city about 40 km downstream from the construction site at Hamdab. The Nubian people have staged massive protests against their displacement but this has fallen into deaf ears as the Sudanese government and funders from Arabic countries are unwavering with the project. Worse enough, the environmental and health impacts have never been properly assessed a point which stings further, the Black Pharaohs.