Remember the Time: A Tribute to Michael Jackson (8.29.1958 - 6.25.2009)

On Thursday afternoon Michael Jackson, also known as the "King of Pop", died of a heart attack at the age of 50. Jackson spent nearly his entire life in the public eye; first as a member of the "Jackson 5" band with his brothers, and then as the world's most successful solo pop artist. His 1982 album, Thriller, is still the world's best selling album.

Michael Jackson's personal life has always been characterized by more than his share of turmoil. From his relationship with his abusive father, to his continued use of cosmetic surgery to virtually annihilate his African features, to his legal battles fraught with claims of child molestation; Jackson was often embroiled in heated controversy. However, he undeniably stands as one of the greatest influences of both music and popular culture.

Today The Udjat celebrates the life and accomplishments of Michael Jackson through his ground-breaking 1992 song Remember the Time. Jackson took great risk with the song's accompanying video which was set in Ancient Egypt. Directed by popular African American director John Singleton, the video utilizes its title in "double entendre" fashion. The use of an all-African American cast argues that we should all "remember the time" that Africans were the rulers of one of the world's most preeminent formative civilizations. Certainly this image must have been difficult for so many of the proponents of a non-African origin to Ancient Egypt! Perhaps with a few more popular depictions, we might be able to have a genuine public dialog concerning the ancient role of Africans in the ebbing tide of human civilization. Shem em Hetep (Go Forth in Peace)! Enjoy!

Obama: Ancient Egyptian Glyph "Looks Like Me"

During his recent visit to Egypt, President Barack Obama toured the Pyramids and the Tomb of Qar with Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass. Obama is seeking to repair the United States' relationship with Muslims worldwide after decades of policies bolstering the state of Israel and two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In a genuinely unscripted moment in the tomb, Obama astutely noticed the Metu Neter glyph, "hr", which means "face". Most media outlets covered the humorous moment as Obama exclaimed "That looks like me! Look at those ears!" However the outlets have not explored the fact that the Ancient Egyptians chose to represent such a fundamental word with an image of a man with very clear African features.

Just last year when Nfr-Ka Ma'at and I travelled to Egypt, one of our older students noticed the glyph and commented on its appearance. "Why would they make the face so African if they weren't actually reflecting on themselves?" I wonder if Obama would have made his comment if the glyph was clearly a European with protruding ears? Can you imagine what Hawass must have been thinking? You can't tell me he hasn't already pondered this. In response to African American protesters calling for acknowledgement that the Black African heritage of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun in 2007, Hawass stated "Tutankhamun was not [B]lack, and the portrayal of ancient Egyptian civilisation as black has no element of truth to it." To make his comments even more confusing, Hawass continued, "Egyptians are not Arabs and are not Africans despite the fact that Egypt is in Africa." I'm quite sure Hawass was both surprised and disquieted by Obama's impromptu response to seeing his image ... our image ... etched in stone for all to remember.

Take a look at a picture of the glyph for yourself at the far right. Note the image's broad nose, wide lips and even what seems to be rows of tightly curled locks! Who were the Ancient Egyptians? Why do you continue to ask this question? Our ancestors knew we would have been forced into lands, that we would have been forced not to speak our names. They etched our images in stone for eternity. Shem em Hetep (Go Forth in Peace)!

ARTICLES ON OBAMA'S COMMENTS ON THE KEMETIC GLYPH FOR FACE:

CBS News - http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/06/04/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5062724.shtml

MSNBC - http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/06/04/1953704.aspx

ARTICLE ON HAWASS RESPONDING TO AFRICAN AMERICAN PROTESTERS AT HIS SPEECH ON TUTANKHAMUN:

Independent Online (Quote taken from this article)- http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=nw20070925175335472C333850

Famed Bust of Nefertiti a Fake?

Prior to this week you probably hadn't heard that questions around the authenticity of the famed bust of Nefertiti have persisted for the 76 years since its first display. Usually all discussions concerning the work have simply described it as a beautiful work with "aquiline" features. The bust has even remained a favorite of individuals attempting to squelch the mounting evidence of the African heritage of the Ancient Khamites.

The questionable origin of the bust has been thrust center stage once more with the release of a new book by Swiss art historian, Henry Stierlin. The book claims that the bust was commissioned by German archaeologist Ludwig Borchardt and crafted by an artist named Gerardt Marks at an excavation site to test ancient pigments and to depict her with a necklace which had been previously discovered. Apparently the bust was admired as an original by a visiting German prince and Borchardt did not want to insult him. This version of the events surrounding the bust’s origin would explain why neither Borchardt nor the accompanying French archeologists mentioned the find or even provided notes on the dig—highly unusual for an intact find of this quality. Instead of immediately announcing it as would have been expected, Borchardt proceeded to leave the bust in the sitting room of his sponsor for 10 years. No scientific report appears on the work until 11 years after the supposed find.

Stierlin also describes other supporting data. The statue seems to have been created without proper prevision for a left eye—which would have been a great insult to the spiritual sensibilities of the Ancient Khamites. Additionally, the bust's shoulders were cut vertically instead of horizontally as would have been normal for the period. The vertical cut seems reminiscent of the 19th century Art Nouveau style.

Stierlin even responds to the recent radio carbon dating which found that the pigment was over 3,000 years old. He argues the pigment is actually ancient; however the plaster and limestone cannot be dated using this method. If the bust is a forgery, it would help explain why all indisputable ancient depictions of Nefertiti, the wife of Akhenaten seem to portray her with "African" features. While I truly believe that facial reconstruction is an art rather than a science, this new book also brings the recent virtual imagine composed by forensic scientists from Nefertiti’s mummy into focus (see video below post).

Stierlin's account instantly recalls the creation of a fossil forgery reported just 12 days after the "excavation" of the bust of Nefertiti. The Piltdown man was used to argue the rise of a separate, non-African, European homo sapien. The skull was crafted from a medieval human cranium, an orangutan, and a chimpanzee in order to spur European pride. Before being thoroughly revealed as a hoax, the skull was used to argue that the European was not an African descendant but had hewn itself form its own misty origin.

Must we continue to venture down this road? It is time for all of humanity to recognize the African beginnings of both our species and our civilization. Doing so does not disparage individuals of any ethnic or cultural background. It simply posits our shared beginnings. I believe this unifying theme will only reach its zenith as Africans reclaim our legacy as humanity's progenitors and usher in a new era of introspection, intuition, and collaboration. Are we ready for the challenge? Awaken Black man and women and accomplish what you will! Shem em Hetep!

Articles on the Nefertiti Bust Controversy:

Sidney Morning Herald: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/famed-nefertiti-bust-a-fake-expert-20090505-au3g.html

Google Hosting of Agence France-Press Article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hesdEvM5E_PC4GzRm3iHA9fAYdQg

Cleopatra’s tomb: Found at last?....So What!

Zahi Hawass is obsessed with finding Cleopatra’s tomb. She wasn’t even a queen during the time of the true Ancient Kemetic Dynasties. She is most likely part Ptomlemy, which means she is related to those conquered Ancient Kemet. All of this attention is being used to distract us from the fact that Ancient Kemet was ruled by Africans. Zahi’s goal is to continue the myth that Kemet was ruled by Europeans. Not even his own people (Arabs)! Talk about love for the conqueror. In his article, he associates Cleopatra with the “Egyptian Goddess, Isis”. When will we stop honoring the conqueror, Isis is the greek name for Ast, Osiris is the greek name for Ausar. As a linguist, I am deeply offended by those who use misnomers. And people, please stop using the term “cartouche” as Zahi continues to do. The term “cartouche” is a French term referring to the bullet cartridge of a gun. To the French, the Kemetic name holder resembled the cartridge. The Ancient Kemites referred to the name holder as “Shen”. It is a symbol of eternal life, not a symbol of death! It was used in ancient writings (known as Metu Neter- divine utterances, not “hieroglyphs”) to declare that your name will live on into eternity. We need to recognize the Ancient Kemites for who they were-- African people with African names. The Greeks destroyed monuments and created false images of their own. Let the Greeks honor their own people. Cleopatra is irrelevant to the history of the ancients. She is a biracial invader. The only thing that makes her famous is her complexion. It allows Europeans to continue to claim our heritage. Come on Zahi…let’s dig a little deeper and further back into the real history!

Articles on Cleopatra tomb:

Dispatch Online Article
http://www.dispatch.co.za/article.aspx?id=310728

San Francisco Chronicle Article
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/22/MNPH175IVL.DTL

Time Article
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1893329,00.html (make sure to click on pictures of Cleopatra through the Ages)

African Egypt, Part 2: Black Genesis by Robert Bauval

I know I promised that my Saturday posts would present the facts behind the African origin of Ancient Egypt. However, since I've neglected several Saturdays. I figured I'd post this one. Renowned author Robert Bauval's upcoming book, Black Genesis: The Quest for the Origins will make this case. While Mr. Bauval's book is not scheduled for release until next year, he has posted a brief video explaining part of his argument on YouTube.

Bauval's arguments include analysis of Nabta Playa, the monolith site approximately 70 miles west of Abu Simbel in the region between Egypt and Sudan (read Nubia/Kush). The site was initially considered irrelevant; however recent study has identified it as a stone circle calendar complete with the accompanying markers for the vernal equinox helical rising of several stars. The Ancient Khamites used these sorts of calculations to create the calendar which some argue is still more precise than the one in major use today. The creators of the site might have even been able to identify the 26,000 year cycle referred to as the Great Year. During this period, the stars seem to "reset" themselves in their positioning in our sky.

Why is all of this important you might ask? Well, the proponents of the argument of a European or Asian genesis to the amazing society of Ancient Egypt state that since the region demonstrated no sign of "high culture" prior to the unification of the two lands (Smai Tawi), the originators must have come from outside. This argument is rendered fallicious as signs of high culture in the region prior to Smai Tawi are unearthened. Carbon dating of the ancient camp fires around the Nabta Playa site have placed its creation at near 6,000 BCE. - around three millennia before the beginning of Ancient Kemet! Bauval even cites cave paintings in the region which are of people of African descent.

I must say I was surprised by Bauval's thesis. I would have expected him to follow the argument outlined by some of his collaborators (including John Anthony West). They argue that there must have been a foreign origin as well ... Atlanteans! Folks, we have seen bizarre arguments which refuse to give Africans credit for anything! Once again, our ancestors will continue to be vindicated. Until next time, Shem Hetep!

The Fallicies of a Non-African Egypt

OK, I'll admit it. I broke an unspoken rule. I've spent parts of the last few weeks debating with a poster on YouTube. He is clearly motivated by racist ideas, as he has been posting videos which argue that the Ancient Egyptians were caucasian. He even tends to close most of his arguments by stating that when Europeans began to enslave Africans, we were still living in "the stone age".

I know. African Nationalists would do better not debating white racist. Particularly racists that don't have a basic grasp of world history. By our second email exchange, it occured to me that most of his arguments were sloppily culled from a few websites. A wise brother once told me that that wise men are better not arguing with fools ... onlookers have difficulty telling them apart.

I must say, however that I felt I needed to respond to his allegations as his videos registered thousands of hits as compared to dozens on my own. Clearly he understands what so many other racist propagandist understand. Scholarly researched articles don't reach the masses; poorly crafted arguments in public venues are much more powerful. In our modern technological world, there are few public venues more accessible than YouTube. This was the reason I offered to debate him in a neutral New York City location.

My racist poster keyed into a very powerful misnomer; the Ancient Egyptians could not be indigenous Africans. Actually, there are a blinding array of facts which prove a native African origin to the Khamites. Starting today we'll begin our weekly installments on The Udjat will make this case. This Saturday, we'll look at the incense burner found in a Nubian tomb at Qustal.

During excavations of royal tombs of Nubia's Ta-Seti in the early 1960s, archeologists were surprised to find clothing and funerary items which seem to prove cultural continuity with dynastic-Egypt. This find would be of little note if the tombs were from the 25th dynasty. However, the burials are from a period prior to the unification of Egypt.

One of the items of note from the royal burials is a carved-ivory incense burner which seems to display sacred animals and boating images reminicent to Kemet's splendid resurrection scenes. Most important, a royal seated figure (center of diagram) clearly wears the Hedjet, of White Crown of Upper Kemet. The burner also includes a image of a building structure meant to reference the entryway of a royal palace (first diagram image). The Qustul incense burner, which is on display at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, is proof of the native African origin of Ancient Kemet. Our African ancestors left the keys to reclaiming our splendor. We only have to retrace our steps to find them. Shem Hetep!