AFIDFF and 21 Partners Launch Campaign to Restore Sukur Cultural Landscape

The African International Documentary Festival Foundation (AFIDFF), in collaboration with 21 partner organisations, launched an awareness and mobilisation campaign for the restoration of the Sukur Cultural Landscape, Nigeria’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, at a stakeholders’ meeting and dinner held at the Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Abuja Hotel, on 13 July 2021.

The event formed part of the Recovery March for Sukur Cultural Landscape, coordinated by AFIDFF under the UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) Initiative. The campaign aimed to mobilise public awareness, partnerships, and practical interventions to restore the heritage site, preserve its cultural significance, and support the livelihoods of the local community.

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, who chaired the meeting, called for greater public awareness and stronger partnerships to support Sukur’s restoration, noting that tourism could contribute to Nigeria’s economic diversification. Professor Abba Tijani, then Director-General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), represented by Mrs Victoria Osuagwu, emphasised the need to combine heritage conservation with improved living conditions for the local community. Mr Olagunju Idowu, then Secretary-General of the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO, represented by Mrs Roseline Kurah, also stressed the importance of recovering and rebuilding the site, describing the protection of cultural heritage as a shared responsibility of national and international significance.

The meeting was attended by the Secretary to the Adamawa State Government, representing the Governor; the Chairman of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Major General Paul Tarfa (Rtd.), who expressed support for the initiative; a former Governor of Adamawa State; and diplomatic representatives of Venezuela, Australia, India, and the Republic of Korea. Nollywood actor Jim Iyke, representatives of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and other government officials and development partners were also present.

Commenting on the initiative, AFIDFF Director-General, Malame Ngamariju Mangzha, emphasised the need for collective action and sustained partnerships to restore the Sukur Cultural Landscape, preserve Nigeria’s and Africa’s cultural heritage, and support the livelihoods of the local community.

The programme featured a documentary screening on Sukur and the unveiling of an image of the cultural landscape on a Nigerian postage stamp, helping raise awareness of the site’s historical and cultural significance.

The Abuja meeting built on an earlier stakeholder engagement in Yola in April 2021 and helped mobilise support for subsequent conservation, cultural documentation, volunteer participation, and community engagement activities at Sukur.

Through this initiative, AFIDFF and its partners reaffirmed their commitment to safeguarding Sukur’s heritage, strengthening community participation, and promoting sustainable tourism and local development. The campaign underscored the importance of collective action to protect this valuable cultural landscape for future generations.

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