June 15th 2023.
Things recently turned dark for Dutch archaeologists portraying Egypt from an 'Afrocentric' perspective.
Recently, the National Museum of Antiquities in the Netherlands launched an exhibit titled "Kemet: Egypt in Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul & Funk." The exhibit was met with criticism from the Egyptian Antiquities Service, who claimed that the museum was falsifying history by presenting an 'Afrocentric' portrayal of Egypt's history.
Many Egyptians took to social media to express their disdain for the artwork presented in the exhibit, which depicted dark-skinned people and light-skinned people side by side. Despite the backlash, the museum stood by its work and released a statement on its website. In the statement, they explained that they had "worked long and carefully" on the exhibit and that it was endorsed by many external advisers.
The museum's website further explains that the exhibit explores music by Black artists that references ancient Egypt and Nubia. The music is said to shed light on the experiences of Black people in the West, as well as the African diaspora and pre-colonial Africa.
The debate about the ethnicity of ancient Egyptians has been going on for a long time. This year, Netflix's Queen Cleopatra documentary sparked controversy when an actress of color, Adele James, was cast as the lead. Persian director Tina Gharavi said that it was a "political act" to cast a Black actress in the role of Cleopatra, and that they wanted to "get it right" this time around. The four-part documentary is produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith.
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