Experts Meeting on the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in the Republic of Sudan
The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties has been commissioned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs to carry out the “Project for Formulating Preservation and Restoration Policies for Museums in Sudan Damaged by the Armed Conflict” as part of the FY2025 Emergency International Contribution Project for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (Expert Exchange). As part of this project, four experts from the Republic of Sudan were invited to Japan, and an expert meeting and consultation meetings were held from February 24th to 27th, 2026. This project was implemented following the success of a workshop and related symposium held in Tokyo in August 2026, as part of the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ FY2025 Activities for Exchanges in International Cooperation for Conservation of Cultural Heritage, “Project for Sudanese Cultural Heritage Expert Capacity Building Workshop” (https://www.tobunken.go.jp/materials/katudo/2398816.html).
Ongoing armed conflict broke out in the Republic of Sudan in April 2023, and many cultural heritage sites and museums remain at risk. This project aims to provide expert advice for the rehabilitation of museums damaged in the armed conflict.
The expert meeting was held at the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties on February 24th. From the 25th to the 27th, we visited the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and the National Museum of Ethnology, and held consultation meetings to receive expert advice from each organization.
The four experts invited to Japan on this occasion were as follows:
・ Dr. Abdelrahman Ali (Head of the Culture Unit, UNESCO Khartoum / former Director General, National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM)
・ H.E. Mr. Khalid Fathalrahman (Director, ICESCO Center for Civilizational Dialogue)
・ Dr. Shadia Abdrabo (Deputy Director (Museums Sector), National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM))
・ Mr. Elnzeer Tirab (Director, National Ethnographic Museum)
The four experts who visited Japan are all responsible for the protection of museums and cultural heritage in the Republic of Sudan. Holding the experts meeting with such individuals in Japan was meaningful in recognizing the current situation surrounding Sudan’s cultural heritage and considering methods for future cultural heritage restoration.