A team of archaeologists and a Dutch museum have been banned from excavating in the rich Egyptian necropolis of Saqqara, after the museum presented an exhibit that has incriminated the Egyptian authorities. After the opening of "Kemet: Egypt in Hip Hop, Jazz, Soul & Funk", the National Museum of Antiquities (RMO) in Leiden received an email from the head of the mission of the Egyptian Antiquities Service saying that the exhibition art "falsifies history" " in its "Afrocentric" approach, the Dutch newspaper NRC reported on Monday. Wim Weijland, the director of the museum, confirmed to CNN via email that the Egyptian authorities have denied the company permission for the next excavation period at Saqqara. He also revealed that the reporter who wrote the NRC report had seen emails from the Egyptian authorities. A large burial ground located about 20 kilometers south of the capital Cairo, Saqqara is home to Egypt's oldest pyramid, the Pyramid of Djoser, and has been the site of many significant discoveries over the years. recent. The museum has been holding annual exhibitions there for over 40 years. His last campaign took place earlier this year, between February 19 and March 23.
Mostafa Waziri, secretary general of the Egyptian Council of Antiquities, did not respond to CNN's request for comment. Weijland went on to say that the purpose of the exhibition "Kemet" is to "show and understand the symbols of ancient Egypt and the musical message of black artists", and "to show what scientific and Egyptological discoveries can tell us about ancient Egypt and Nubia. Nubia is an ancient region in northeastern Africa that stretches from the Nile Valley in Egypt to Khartoum in modern Sudan. The area was once home to the Nubian kingdom of Kush, or "Black Pharaoh". According to its website, the exhibition, which opened in April and will run until September 3, "starts a journey through the history of music" and explores "the influence of Egypt and ancient Nubia... and the work of many African musicians, including jazz icons such as Miles Davis and Sun Ra and contemporary artists such as Beyoncé and Rihanna. In recent days, the museum's social media coverage of the exhibit was filled with comments, mostly from Egyptians who viewed it with disrespect. Some have used photos showing designs of ancient Egyptians with fair skin, including people with dark skin tones, which they say the museum is spreading. In response to the controversy, the museum added a note to its website with more information about the exhibit's content, background and purpose. He also said that he will remove offensive or racist comments from his social media platforms. The museum encouraged visitors to “visit the exhibition and form their own opinions,” saying it “welcomes respectful dialogue on the cultural heritage of Egypt and Nubia.”.This isn’t the first time Egypt has objected to the depiction of its ancient ancestors. It recently criticized the Netflix docuseries “Queen Cleopatra,” which portrays the ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt as a woman of color
“The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden has been working at Saqqara since 1975,” Weijland told CNN. “For the upcoming season, the museum has been denied the permit to excavate here.” Weijland said the reason for the permit’s denial is the “presumed ‘falsifying history’ in the current exhibition,” adding that the museum is trying to “open the dialogue” with the Egyptian authorities about the matter. Zahi Hawass, an Egyptologist and former Egyptian minister of antiquities, wrote last month that “no one with even a little education could make a film showing Cleopatra as black.”
