Egypt Imposes Punishment on Dutch Museum RMO for Afrocentric Exhibition

The National Museum of Antiquities (RMO) in Leiden is no longer allowed to conduct excavations in Saqqara, the famous burial ground near the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The Egyptian authorities have imposed this ban in response to anger over an exhibition currently on display at the Leiden museum, first reported by NRC.

The exhibition titled "Kemet: Egypt in Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul & Funk" opened at the end of April. According to the museum, it is an exploration of "the significance of ancient Egypt and Nubia in the work of musicians from the African diaspora."

The exhibition primarily focuses on black artists from the United States, who are portrayed as Egyptian icons from the past. Visitors can see Beyoncé and Rihanna depicted as Queen Nefertiti, rapper Nas as Pharaoh Tutankhamun, and Eddie Murphy as Pharaoh Ramses, among others.

Shortly after its opening, the exhibition received a wave of negative reactions from Egypt. The RMO was accused of participating in the appropriation of Egyptian culture. The museum also published a statement concerning these reactions, https://www.rmo.nl/exhibition-kemet/ The RMO has received an official email from the Egyptian Antiquities Service, stating that the museum is guilty of distorting history due to the "Afrocentric" approach of the exhibition.