UK's University of Cambridge exhibits- Black to Kemet

[rivertemz]

University of Cambridge, Top University in Europe and Number 3 in the world, historically renown for it's academic influence. It is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, and the world's third-oldest surviving university.

The University is home to the Fitzwilliam Museum,  described by the Standing Commission on Museums & Galleries in 1968 as “one of the greatest art collections of the nation and a monument of the first importance”, The Fitzwilliam Museum exhibited Ancient Egypt with the title; Black to Kemet.



Black to Kemet
: Placing Egypt in Africa

Kemet was one of the names given to Egypt by its ancient indigenous inhabitants.
In a modern context the term Kemet has become associated with placing Egypt in its African cultural context.
There are many links between ancient Egyptian and modern African cultures, such as headrests and hairstyles
like the side lock. This and other evidence support the idea that it was an African culture in addition to being geographically in Africa.



This exhibition invites the viewer to consider the appearance of the people of Kemet around 3000 years ago and to ask the question: ‘Were the ancient Egyptians Black?’ as we use the term in Britain today.

    

Why Kemet?

A photographic exhibition by Andrew Crowe



When you are Black and British looking at our contribution to world history is important because it helps us, and other people,
to understand that we all have a connection to Africa because this was where our ancestors came from.
As a Black person in Britain it is easy to feel disconnected from Black culture, heritage and history. It’s like having two separate
identities that don’t always connect. In the media and the education system Black role models are often neglected.
Kemet can play an important role in readdressing the balance. It is an African culture that is popular and is already accepted as part of
mainstream education. However, when it is taught it is often taken out of its African cultural context.



For me, going to Egypt was crucial for my own research because it allowed me to look at the evidence with my own eyes, and
not someone else’s interpretation. When I looked at the statues and reliefs I noticed that in many cases the facial features that
help to identify someone’s race had been damaged. The noses were missing and the mouths had been smashed. But you can still
tell that many of the people were Black Africans because of their profiles and the shape of their faces.

Source- Black to Kemet   

Resources- 

Kemet: Ancient Egypt, Africa Workshop 1 (with Ossama Abdel Meguid)


Kemet: Ancient Egypt, Africa Workshop 2  Lecture: biological anthropology and Ancient Egypt with Dr Shomarka Keita 

Kemet: Ancient Egypt, Africa Workshop 3 with Dr Mpay Kemboly

[rivertemz]

The author to this page article, Andrew Crowe, associates with the Professors involved in the study of Ancient Egypt and Nubia;
Acknowledging; (X)
Dr Ossama A.W. Meguid,  Director of the Nubian Museum in Aswan, Egypt.


Workshop-1 is also a very interesting seminar with Dr. Meguid addressing the racial concept within the realm of Egyptology .

[zarahan]

Great links! Keita's Cambridge video was linked to some time ago on ES, but
never knew these other speakers were around. Rounds out the entire presentation.

Based on black folks you know in the UK or their writings, who are interested in Kemet, how do they
react to the statement- "Blacks should not study Kemet as they have nothing to do
with Egypt. They should stick to West Africa, their true heritage?"

You surely must have some types who don't want blacks involved in the conversation,
who make this kind of statement- maybe subtly but thatis the bottom line? What about Arab-
Egyptian types who make roughly the same argument- blacks should "not be involved" in this area?
In America there are such types - I was just wondering about the UK side and the
responses you see from blacks about it? I realize of course that you can't cover the
whole range of black opinion in the UK- just wondering about some cross-Atlantic
comparisons.. in terms of what you have seen/heard of, etc..

[truthteacher2007]

May 15, 2014 18:13:26 GMT -5 zarahan said:

Great links! Keita's Cambridge video was linked to some time ago on ES, but
never knew these other speakers were around. Rounds out the entire presentation.

Based on black folks you know in the UK or their writings, who are interested in Kemet, how do they
react to the statement- "Blacks should not study Kemet as they have nothing to do
with Egypt. They should stick to West Africa, their true heritage?"

You surely must have some types who don't want blacks involved in the conversation,
who make this kind of statement- maybe subtly but thatis the bottom line? What about Arab-
Egyptian types who make roughly the same argument- blacks should "not be involved" in this area?
In America there are such types - I was just wondering about the UK side and the
responses you see from blacks about it? I realize of course that you can't cover the
whole range of black opinion in the UK- just wondering about some cross-Atlantic
comparisons.. in terms of what you have seen/heard of, etc..

To me, that statement makes as much sense as saying Anglo Saxons shouldn't study Greece as they had nothing to do with it. They should stick to England, their true heritage. As Africans and African descendants, we have the right to study all of Africa's cultures without exception as Europeans feel the right to study cultures and histories of other European nations. For example, Russians didn't have a drop of French blood in their veins, but that didn't stop them from speaking French at court, adopting French architecture and dancing Ballet.

As for any Modern Egyptians who hold the same opinions, I'd just remind them that they are not really Arabs, but Africans who had the Arabic language imposed on them. There are very few in Egypt who can lay claim to being Arabs in the true sense. My answer to them is that if they want to play that game, fine. Then they should give up western dress, listening to western music and most of all western education. If they're Christian, they should resign themselves to studying scripture in a monestary, and Muslims should only concern themselves with what's taught in the madrasas. No one group of people has exclusive rights to studying any history or culture. Had Europeans taken that attitude, Egyptians today would have no knowledge of their past whatsoever. Lets face it, neither Chhristians, nor Muslims wanted anything to do with pharaonic history and culture because those people were devil worshiping heathens burning in hell. They need to just get over themselves and join the 21st century.

[anansi]

Naaw the argument over if ancient Kmt was African biological and cultural is soo over that folks might as well state the obvious.

[rivertemz]

May 15, 2014 18:13:26 GMT -5 zarahan said:

Great links! Keita's Cambridge video was linked to some time ago on ES, but
never knew these other speakers were around. Rounds out the entire presentation.

Based on black folks you know in the UK or their writings, who are interested in Kemet, how do they
react to the statement- "Blacks should not study Kemet as they have nothing to do
with Egypt. They should stick to West Africa, their true heritage?"

You surely must have some types who don't want blacks involved in the conversation,
who make this kind of statement- maybe subtly but thatis the bottom line? What about Arab-
Egyptian types who make roughly the same argument- blacks should "not be involved" in this area?
In America there are such types - I was just wondering about the UK side and the
responses you see from blacks about it? I realize of course that you can't cover the
whole range of black opinion in the UK- just wondering about some cross-Atlantic
comparisons.. in terms of what you have seen/heard of, etc..

Good point made, so far I haven't personally come across a conversation with a White person or an Arab-Egyptian giving a bias on the controversy over race with kemet. I normally end up in the position of informing those who do not know much about Ancient Egypt.
When it comes to global historical context, most British people I come across tend to grasp only particular European empires such as their own; (British empire), the Roman Empire, The Catholic super-powers in the 1600s; France and Spain, communist Russia, Greek artifacts and studies- (greek classics). So I rarely get insight on what the common folk think about Ancient Egypt, it almost seems distantly-interesting to the public. 

Whilst of course, the Scholars and those in the academic field are more exposed to the study of past civilisations in places outside Europe, I have ended up debating a White male scientist (on an article page with a facebook comment section) that mentioned being an author of a book about linking the stonehenge in England and the ancient civilisation in Ireland to Ancient Egypt rather than African, that there is more evidence proven the Ancient Egyptians migrated to the British isles. (which of course sounds like bullocks ), so yes there is a percentage of those who are plugged to the Eurocentric idea of kemet. But from the looks of it, they are a small percentage that are obsessed with Ancient Egypt, of course including those that have studied Egyptology for generations in Britain, Germany and other countries in Europe, that would completely refuse to believe Kemet is of African origin.


I've visited the British Museum over 10 times last year, and this is the image I'm invited to in the Ancient Egyptian section of the building every time I view it;

It's the largest artefact in the whole floor. It kind of leaves a stigma in my mind that separates superior Kemet with savage Nubia, eventhough they've had a love/hate as well as a conquer and rule relationship, I am completely convinced that the visitors of the Museum would receive the same concept from this artefact from their small knowledge of Ancient Egypt.





Whilst I've never come across this artefact in any of the Historical Museums in the UK;


So overall it leaves me thinking there's a subtleness in bias of opinion on the race of Ancient Egypt, it hasn't come up in discussion with a white or arab friend for me yet, but when it does, I would be prepared as I should be on defending African kemet over Eurocentric ideologies.
As long as the study of Egyptology prevails in the academic field (which is in most origins with the UK from the late 19th and early 20th century) it would always be up for discussion and controversy in the UK when nessacary, but in a very subtle way. Since there is a lack of friction between African-related scholars and racially motivated White scholars here in the UK,(from what I'm aware of personally so far).

My limit to this is that I'm not really aware of what Arab Egyptians in the UK take on African Kemet, I'm not sure that most Arab-Egyptians are aware or concerned with what African scholars say about Ancient Kemet being linked to Africa

• There is a percentage of Arab-Egyptian that would also classify themselves as Nubian Egyptian
• And since Afrocentric scholars in the UK are less vocal in the academic arena, due to our numbers).
  • List item 1
  
  But I am aware that arab-Egyptians are frustrated with the British attempting to claim Ancient Egypt as some kind of Scandinavian Empire. Many Egyptian schlors in Cairo have been very vocal against foreign and European ownership of Ancient Egypt over the decades. And gradually there's more of a confidence in having more Egyptian-born historians teaching Egyptology to the masses rather than the English scholars from oxford or cambridge. 
  

[rivertemz]

May 18, 2014 22:17:42 GMT -5 anansi said:

Naaw the argument over if ancient Kmt was African biological and cultural is soo over that folks might as well state the obvious.

Exactly, whilst the pages on the Cambridge University site is outdated by a few years when it comes to biological research, its potentially an authentic platform for academic credibility in Black Kemet.

I wonder what recent studies have taken place with US colleges on Ancient Egypt? What is Harvard and Yale saying?

[rivertemz]

collateral.medium.com/inthenameoftheking/inthenameoftheking-jomarchant-matter.mp3

[rivertemz]

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[nebsen]

Oct 2, 2015 11:17:37 GMT -5 rivertemz said:

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What happened to your post ? Was looking forward to read more about this subject.

[rivertemz]

Oct 2, 2015 22:20:29 GMT -5 nebsen said:

Oct 2, 2015 11:17:37 GMT -5 rivertemz said:

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What happened to your post ? Was looking forward to read more about this subject.

Hello, I'm waiting for more updates on it, I want to physically visit the Museum, it's just 1 hour by train from where I live