Lecture Notes: Misrepresentation of Ancient Egypt in Museums

Introduction

• Speaker: Heba Abd Gawad, Egyptian Egyptologist
• Topic: Issues with the representation of ancient Egypt in museums worldwide
• Collaborators: Alice Stevenson, UCL Institute of Archaeology, various partners from Egypt, artists, community activists, cultural organizations, and six UK institutions

Representation of Egypt in Museums

• Common Museum Depiction:

  • Focus on mummies, pharaohs, gold
  • Emphasis on achievements and luxury
  • Ignores failures, miseries, and exploitation
  • Egypt seen as happy, frozen, and orphaned

• Contrast with Modern Egypt:

  • Representation of continuity and change
  • Mixture of historical layers and ethnicities
  • Language influenced by hieroglyphs, Coptic, Greek, Italian, Spanish, English, and Arabic
  • Museums often ignore the connection to modern communities

Issues with Current Museum Practices

• Disenfranchisement of Egyptians:

  • Invisible and silenced in museum displays
  • Displacement from local spaces for Western fascination

• Decolonization Discussions:

  • Egypt often excluded from decolonization talks
  • Focus on Africa usually excludes Egypt
  • Discussions led by Western academics; museum-centered

Proposed Solutions

• Reframing Questions:

  • Shift focus from repatriation to using collections to benefit source communities
  • Aim for social justice and inclusion

• Engagement with Source Communities:

  • Involving communities in discussions on colonial legacies
  • Utilizing social media for communication, especially with Egypt's youth

Use of Humor and Comics

• Egyptian Humor as a Tool:

  • Leveraging humor to address complex issues
  • Nasser Junior: Cartoonist who uses humor to Egyptianize Western concepts

• The 'Three Rs':

  • Relatable, Relevant, Responsive comics
  • Engaging the Egyptian youth, representing 61% of the population

Projects and Collaborations

• Comic Series: "Nasser, Heba and our Dispersed Heritage"

  • Multi-vocal representation of Egyptian communities
  • Personifies ancient Egypt as displaced
  • Aims to return agency to the people

• UK Museum Partners:

  • World Museum in Liverpool, Teaching Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, National Museum of Scotland, Manchester Museum, Horniman Museum and Gardens, Egypt Exploration Society
  • Focus on the dispersal of Egyptian artifacts during colonial era

Key Messages and Outcomes

• Displacement and Heritage:

  • Highlighting visa issues and struggles of Egyptians while their heritage travels globally
  • Discussion on prioritization of heritage over human lives

• Ethics of Human Remains Display:

  • Western-led discussions exclude Egyptians
  • Use of archival documents to engage communities in ethical discussions

• Community Engagement:

  • Community feedback shows diverse opinions
  • Emphasizes the need to consider local perspectives and emotional attachments

Conclusion

• Confronting Colonial Legacies:
  • Importance of social justice in decolonization efforts
  • Need for inclusivity of local communities in discussions
• Acknowledgments:
  • Funded by the UK's Art and Humanities Research Council
  • Gratitude to Egyptian communities for their support