Preserving Culture, Creating Space: Deng Nhial Chioh Dhoar at Scenius Hub

For Deng Nhial Chioh Dhoar, culture is not something fixed in the past. It is living, practiced, and carried forward through people, stories, and shared spaces.

A heritage professional, artist, and cultural practitioner with over two decades of experience, Deng’s work focuses on safeguarding South Sudan’s rich intangible cultural heritage while creating room for dialogue, learning, and creative expression.

Deng’s engagement with Scenius Hub reflects the role the space plays for many young and experienced practitioners alike, as a place to work, connect, and reflect. His testimonial speaks to the importance of having a physical environment where ideas around culture, peace, and development can be explored collectively, rather than in isolation.

Having begun his journey in folklore music in 2000, Deng has dedicated his career to documenting and promoting traditional music, dance, and storytelling in South Sudan. His work blends traditional rhythms with contemporary influences, helping to keep cultural practices relevant while honoring their origins. Through music and heritage work, he has also contributed to community mobilization and conflict resolution, recognizing culture as a powerful tool for social cohesion.

As the founder and Executive Director of the Maale Foundation for Heritage, Peace, and Development Studies, and its folklore wing, Maale Folklore Dance Group, Deng continues to create platforms for cultural education and exchange. His leadership extends beyond national borders through his work with UNESCO, where he serves as a National Focal Point under the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, and as an expert and global facilitator under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

In his testimonial, Deng reflects on how spaces like Scenius Hub support cultural practitioners by providing more than infrastructure offering room for collaboration, reflection, and continuity. For him, the hub represents an environment where young people, artists, and heritage professionals can engage across disciplines, share experiences, and strengthen the link between culture and development.

Deng’s academic background in peace and development, sociology, anthropology, and leadership further informs his approach, grounding cultural work within broader social and political contexts. His international engagements across Africa, Europe, and beyond underscore the global relevance of South Sudan’s cultural heritage and the importance of creating local spaces that nurture such work.

Through voices like Deng’s, the testimonials from Scenius Hub highlight how the space is used by people working across creativity, heritage, entrepreneurship, and social change, each bringing their own practice, and finding value in community, exchange, and shared purpose.

Watch the full recording here: