Egypt Grapples with Right of Return for Nubians
Nubian farmer working his land. Photo by NubianImage
By: Nathan Matsko
Bellefonte — In an attempt to address grievances that have been decades in the making, the Egyptian Government has compensated thousands of Nubians and their descendants who had been displaced years earlier.
In 1963 and 1964, nearly 50,000 Nubians were forcibly relocated by the Egyptian government from their indigenous homeland in Southern Egypt to make way for the Aswan Dam. This project eventually left most of the Nubian Valley submerged in the new Nasser Lake.
Egypt Today reports the extent of this compensation. Nearly 14,000 people are deemed eligible for compensation, with 25,000 Egyptian Pounds (roughly $1500) being offered per “Feddan” the Nubian residents owned, a unit of measurement equal to about an acre. The government is also allowing those who have built housing on government land to remain and is offering land suitable for farming and housing to others.
While this compensation was welcomed by some, others do not believe it has gone far enough, even seeing it as an “out” to avoid returning what parts of Nubia are still above the waters.
Nubian Civilization spans back thousands of years, rivaling the ancient Egyptians with their antiquity. The land of Nubia stretches across a massive swath of land stretching from Aswan to Khartoum in Sudan.
The Nubians living in Egypt today have repeatedly challenged the government to address their grievances. In recent years, it has been the younger generations that have actively protested moves by government officials and fought for a reconnection with their homeland. When Egypt planned to use a massive portion of Nubian land for an agricultural government project, dozens of Nubian activists protested in Aswan city, leading to arrests.
A typical water-faring Nubian community. Photo by RachidH
The Egyptian Constitution instituted in 2014 promises a return to Nubia for the Nubians within ten years, though progress has been almost nonexistent towards that particular effect. This monetary compensation, with that in mind, seems like more of a compromise and less like any sort of reparations.
While it is clear that the government is, at the very least, making an attempt to appease Nubians, it doesn’t address the actions of governments past.
While the exact number of people of Nubian descent living in Egypt isn’t known, it should be recognized that there are many who yearn to live on the same lands that their ancestors did. There are people who are not afraid to protest, and Egypt’s Dictator Sisi, based on his record, is unlikely to ignore any sort of unrest in his country, no matter how seemingly minute.