SUDAN. Hayban, Nuba Mountains, Sudan. January, 2024.

School children at the Hager Modern School, a public school in the Nuba Mountains.

Education is at the core of the Nubans’ cultural values. For all the damage war has done in the Nuba Mountains, the destruction and shuttering of the schools have hit the communities hardest.

Before the war, Hundreds of members of a community would volunteer their time, money and crops to build and fund community schools and their students. Towns even pooled funds to fly in teachers from Kenya.

Early in the war, students would sit for final examinations with a rock on their desk. If an Antonov flew overhead, the rock held their papers in place while they hid in foxholes.

At the end of each year, the schools would hold a celebration for the entire village. The teachers call the students’ names one by one and present them with handwritten certificates confirming they’ve passed their classes.

As the name of each child is called his parents run and dance towards toward her. The mother sings a song praising her and the father slaps 5 Sudanese Pounds ($1) to her head. The five pounds stick to the student’s sweaty scalp as if she is wearing a crown for her achievements. For many communities these celebrations have stopped and it is no longer safe to bring in teachers.