A Sudanese Cultural Heritage Campaign · 2026 – 2027
A campaign and short documentary by Paris Quetzal Sistilli and Yusef Bushara — protecting Sudanese cultural memory amid one of the world’s most devastating and underreported conflicts.
Opening Statement
“Beneath the wreckage of homes and hospitals lies another front in this war: the systematic erasure of a nation’s cultural memory.”
What’s at Stake
In times of conflict, that identity becomes a strategic target — a way to erode the memory, cohesion, and continuity of a people. Although commonly framed as a “civil war,” Sudan since 2023 has been in the throes of a counter-revolutionary war. The country has witnessed widespread and irreversible damage to archaeological sites, archives, and museums.
Destruction in Sudan is ongoing, not confined to the past. Immediate documentation and action are essential. Heritage workers continue to operate under extreme, time-sensitive conditions with limited visibility and support — underscoring the urgent need for greater aid, technical expertise, and protective resources.
60%
of Sudan National Museum holdings looted in the last three years.
12M+
people displaced since the war began in 2023.
Ongoing
deliberate destruction of museums, archives, and historic sites.
Impact Campaign
Returning Sands is a global campaign that launches with two education and art expo events in London and Cairo — serving as both visibility platforms and fundraising catalysts for the short documentary at the heart of the project.
The ambition extends beyond a single screening or exhibition. At its core is the production of a documentary film to be submitted to festivals across the SWANA region and internationally, fostering sustained engagement with the urgent issues of heritage preservation in Sudan and the deliberate targeting of cultural sites in conflict zones.
Through this work, we seek to engage Sudanese communities within the country and across the diaspora, while reaching a broader global audience — to amplify awareness and mobilize a wider call to action.
Goals of the Project
Support the documentation of endangered heritage and lived memory.
Amplify the work of Sudanese heritage professionals, including emerging efforts tied to Blue Shield Sudan.
Collaborate with Sudanese artists and heritage experts to tackle the issue of futurity in an interdisciplinary fashion.
Enable future pathways to rebuild, recover, and sustain Sudanese cultural heritage — within the country and across the diaspora.
Position culture as a core component of humanitarian and post-conflict response.
The Documentary
The film follows the story of Ali Nour, a Sudanese heritage professional leading efforts to protect his country’s cultural legacy. From Cairo, Ali and a network of displaced Sudanese experts coordinate high-risk safeguarding operations across Sudan — confronting the collapse of national infrastructure and the limits of international support.
Expanding beyond preservation alone, the film also enters the lives of Sudanese artists, musicians, and scholars in exile — capturing the active creation and transmission of cultural heritage within the diaspora. By interweaving frontline protection efforts with stories of cultural resilience and reinvention, the project positions heritage not only as something under threat, but as a living force: central to identity, survival, and the future of Sudan itself.
Logline
From exile in Egypt, Ali Nour coordinates Sudan’s fight to keep heritage alive. With national memory under siege, Ali and his crew of brave volunteers do everything to safeguard Sudan’s future while maintaining its thread to the past.
Introducing
A grants-management specialist and cultural heritage advocate. Ali serves as Secretary General of Blue Shield Sudan and rapporteur of the Emergency Response Committee under Sudan’s National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (NCAM).
With a background in strategic fundraising, proposal development, and crisis coordination, he supports regional and international efforts to document, stabilise, and protect heritage in Sudan.
“Heritage workers operate under constant threat amidst an active war, with civilian attacks intensifying, even in the capital, Khartoum.”
Events
Each evening combines a trailer screening, an educational panel, and an art expo — open to the public, with limited capacity.
Hosted in partnership with Sudan Blue Shield and Cairo-based collaborators, the first public surfacing of the project — staged where much of the heritage work is now coordinated from exile.
Carrying the project into the diaspora. A trailer screening, panel, and campaign launch — gathering Sudanese artists, scholars, and audiences across the UK.
Project Timeline
April 2026
Assembling team, applying for grants, establishing partnerships. Organizing ourselves as a charity / org.
Summer 2026
Confirming a director and assembling the trailer. Organizing the London and Cairo events.
Fall 2026
Pre-Production continues. NYC fundraising events build the runway for filming.
December 2026
Filming of the documentary begins. Cairo Returning Sands event — trailer screening, educational panel, art expo.
January 2027
Editing begins. Plans to screen and submit to festivals across SWANA and internationally.
Early 2027
London Returning Sands event. Trailer, education panel, and campaign launch.
Closing Statement
“Country is more than territory, it is memory… So if you protect that now, in the middle of this chaos, then we will have a foundation through which we can rebuild.”
Core Creative Team
Returning Sands is produced by Paris Quetzal Sistilli and Yusef Bushara, with creative, advisory, and coordination support spanning New York, London, and Cairo. Where possible we work with friends and collaborators pro bono — the priority is paying heritage workers and contributors for their time.
Project Lead · Producer
New York
Creative Director · Writing · Expo Coordination
London
Executive Producer · Kalam Aflam Coordinator
Cairo
Co-Producer · Creative Direction
Brooklyn
Coordination & Partners
Sudan Blue Shield · Cairo Event Co-Organizer · Narrative Focus
Event Coordination · Cairo & UNESCO
Finance · Logistics · Organization
Contact & Support
We’re actively building partnerships, applying for grants, and looking for friends who can help — through funding, expertise, venues, or simply by carrying the word forward. Reach out to the producer or the creative director directly.
Direct