The Zaghawa Language and Heritage Center was established in the Republic of Sudan through a pioneering initiative led by a distinguished group of Zaghawa intellectuals, researchers, and academics. The Center was founded in response to the urgent need to preserve the Zaghawa language, protect cultural identity, and safeguard the cultural heritage that represents one of the most important components of the collective memory of the Zaghawa community.
The establishment of the Center comes amid growing challenges facing local languages and cultures, as well as the rapid social and technological transformations that have created an urgent need for specialized institutions dedicated to documenting languages and heritage, developing educational tools, and transmitting them to future generations.
The Center is an independent, non-profit cultural and educational institution with legal personality. It operates according to an institutional vision and long-term strategic objectives aimed at serving the Zaghawa community in the Republic of Sudan, while extending its interest to Zaghawa communities in Chad and Libya and to Zaghawa people around the world.
Since its establishment, the Center has worked to revive, teach, develop, and modernize the Zaghawa language, “Beri Ah,” and to document it according to modern scientific and academic methodologies. These efforts seek to strengthen the language’s presence and ensure its accurate and sustainable transmission to future generations.
The Center also places special emphasis on collecting and documenting Zaghawa heritage in all its forms, including folk stories and tales, proverbs, legends, poetry, songs and chants, oral narratives, customs, traditions, social norms, and cultural practices that reflect the distinctiveness and identity of Zaghawa society.
The Center also develops educational programs, organizes training workshops, seminars, and cultural events, supports research initiatives, produces educational and media materials, and employs modern digital technologies in the service of language and heritage. These efforts include digital archiving, online platforms, educational applications, and the development of digital tools, fonts, and resources for the Zaghawa language.
The Center aspires to become an open scientific and cultural platform for researchers, academics, students, and anyone interested in the Zaghawa language and heritage, as well as a bridge for cultural and civilizational communication that promotes diversity, coexistence, and mutual respect.
Vision
To become a leading cultural and scientific institution at the national and regional levels, dedicated to preserving Zaghawa identity, developing its language, safeguarding its cultural heritage, and transmitting it to future generations through scientific foundations and sustainable institutional methodologies, thereby ensuring the continuity of this cultural legacy amid rapidly changing global circumstances.
Mission
To document the Zaghawa language and heritage in all their tangible and intangible dimensions, preserve and disseminate them through modern scientific and technological methods, support the teaching and development of the Zaghawa language, promote awareness of cultural identity, encourage scientific research and knowledge production, and build bridges of cultural communication and interaction with peoples and cultures around the world based on mutual respect and cultural diversity.
Strategic Objectives
The Center seeks to achieve a range of strategic objectives, including:
- Protecting and preserving the Zaghawa language by documenting its vocabulary, grammar, phonological system, and writing system, and developing educational resources.
- Collecting and documenting Zaghawa oral and written heritage, including stories, proverbs, poetry, historical narratives, legends, songs, and chants.
- Preserving tangible and intangible heritage through modern documentation and archival methods that ensure its sustainability and accessibility for future generations.
- Promoting awareness of cultural and linguistic identity among members of the Zaghawa community in Sudan and abroad.
- Supporting researchers and scholars in the fields of Zaghawa language, history, heritage, and culture, and encouraging academic studies and scientific research.
- Developing and producing specialized educational and media materials related to the Zaghawa language and heritage.
- Organizing seminars, workshops, festivals, and cultural events that contribute to revitalizing Zaghawa heritage and strengthening its presence within the community.
- Employing modern technology in the service of language and heritage, including the development of educational applications, digital platforms, electronic libraries, and digital archives.
- Supporting the development of digital tools for the Zaghawa language, including digital fonts, keyboards, and electronic resources.
- Strengthening scientific and cultural cooperation with academic and cultural institutions, research centers, and researchers inside and outside Sudan.
- Making knowledge accessible to the public and researchers through digital platforms, libraries, and open educational resources.
- Strengthening the presence of the Zaghawa language in education, media, and the digital environment, and expanding opportunities for its learning, use, documentation, and dissemination.
Who Are the Zaghawa?
The Zaghawa are an ancient African community whose history is closely associated with the Sahel and the eastern regions of the Sahara. Their presence is primarily concentrated in Darfur, Sudan, and northern Chad, with communities extending into other areas, including Libya and countries of the diaspora.
History and Distribution
The Zaghawa have a long history in the region. Their geographical location contributed to the development of extensive relationships with neighboring communities through trade, migration, mobility, and social and cultural interaction.
Over time, Zaghawa communities became established across different regions of Sudan, Chad, and beyond, while maintaining strong social and cultural ties and preserving important elements of their shared identity.
The Zaghawa Language
The Zaghawa language, “Beri Ah,” is one of the most important components of Zaghawa identity. It possesses a rich oral heritage that includes stories, proverbs, poetry, traditional expressions, and other forms of cultural knowledge.
During recent decades, the language has witnessed increasing efforts to document it, develop its writing system, support its teaching, and utilize modern digital technologies to preserve and disseminate it.
Development of the Zaghawa Language “Beri Ah” and Its Pioneers
The Zaghawa language, “Beri Ah,” has passed through several stages of development. Its early foundations were rooted in oral traditions and the transmission of knowledge from one generation to another. Later, efforts expanded into documentation, writing, education, and, more recently, the use of modern technologies and digital platforms.
A number of Zaghawa educators, researchers, writers, and language enthusiasts have contributed to this process. Among the names associated with efforts to document and develop the language are Adam Mohamed Abdullah Issa (Adam Tajer) and Dr. Siddig Adam Issa, along with a number of individuals interested in Zaghawa language and writing, including:
- Al-Sadiq Siddig
- Baharalden Mohamed Bakheet
- Ezzaldeen Beri Mi Neil
- Nasr al-Din
- Ibrahim Saboon
- Nazer Hamid Adam (Shogom)
- Ahmed Abdelrahim Bashir
- Al-Nour Yacoub Hassan
- Asad Baqari
as well as many other researchers, teachers, writers, and language enthusiasts.
Their contributions have varied from documenting the language and developing writing systems to collecting vocabulary and texts, preparing educational materials, and promoting the use of the language in education, media, and digital environments.
With the emergence of computers, mobile phones, and modern technologies, the language entered a new stage of development that included digital fonts, keyboards, educational materials, and electronic archiving. These developments have expanded opportunities for learning, using, documenting, and disseminating the language.
This journey remains a cumulative effort involving many members of the Zaghawa community, researchers, educators, and language advocates. It continues today through institutions and initiatives dedicated to preserving, developing, and transmitting the language to future generations.
Culture and Heritage
Zaghawa heritage is characterized by great diversity and includes traditional clothing, arts and music, dances, poetry, proverbs, folk stories, social customs, traditions, and ways of life connected to the local environment.
These elements represent a living cultural memory that reflects the history, values, traditions, and distinctive identity of Zaghawa society.
Society and Values
Zaghawa society is founded upon a range of social values, including solidarity, respect for elders, generosity, cooperation, and strong concern for family and community.
Community gatherings and social occasions have historically played an important role in transmitting knowledge, values, customs, and traditions from one generation to the next.
The Zaghawa Today
With modern transformations, migration, education, and new communication technologies, the Zaghawa have become a widely dispersed community within Sudan, Chad, and beyond.
Members of the community continue to contribute to education, culture, research, media, and professional fields, while interest in preserving the Zaghawa language, identity, and heritage continues to grow.
Preserving Identity
Preserving Zaghawa identity does not mean isolation from the wider world. Rather, it means documenting the language and heritage, introducing younger generations to their history and culture, making this heritage accessible to researchers and those interested in it, and bringing it into the digital age.
From this perspective, the Zaghawa Language and Heritage Center works to support education, documentation, research, and digitalization efforts, contributing to making the Zaghawa language and heritage a living and dynamic part of the community’s present and future.