A
bunch of people calling itself World Wide Archaeology (which seems rather a misnomer for a Facebook group consisting mainly of assorted Egyptians and a few Egyptological hangers-on) is apparently holding a seminar at the El Sawy Culturewheel-Zamalek in Cairo today: The Second Seminar with a cooperation between WWA and The Egyptian Museum in Egypt [...] titled “Egyptian Museum Monuments after Revolution”The whole story. The Egyptian Museum became an improbable backdrop to Egypt’s revolution when on Jan. 25, 2011, pro-democracy protesters first occupied Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. You are invited to know the whole true story about looting, returned artifacts and restoration work from sources of trust.For this group, the "sources of trust" are Dr.Tarek El Awady the director of the Egyptian museum and Dr. Hoda Abd El Hameed (director of the restoration department in the Egyptian Museum). In other words the man who together with his staff have not exactly been justifying any trust whatsoever as museum professionals by telling us in the past seven months since the events of 28th January anything which looks anything like the "whole story". I want to know what he was doing in the control room with Mubarak's State Security Services men and why he is still in his post after the Museum lost so many objects on his watch. Let us hope that somebody who was able to attend will let us know "the whole story" as told by Tarek El Awady. Is it too much to expect a You tube video or podcast for those archaeologists and others "World Wide" who were unable to get to it?
Did the speakers reveal when the report of the state commission that was doubtless set up to investigate the theft of state property will be publishing its report about what actually happened, who was responsible for the security breach and what steps should be or have been taken to rectify the weaknesses in the system?
UPDATE 19.08.2011.
Sadly although the World Wide Archaeology organizers promised they were going to put online something about what was revealed at this meeting about the "whole story", nothing has actually materialised... There was some talk that the participants had been shown photos of the "objects" conserved. But of course that is just part of the story that is of concern to the "World Wide" community.
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5 comments:
Really? Must say I am neither an Egyptologist, nor a "hanger-on". I'm actually an osteologist with a preference for the Anglo-Saxon. I find your attack on the WWA quite unwarranted since you clearly do not take part. As a relatively young group set up in Egypt it is obvious that it's initial base will be Egyptian and so will quite a few of the topics. As the group expands this is changing. There are some truely esteemed people connected to this group for whom I have the greatest admiration and from whom I learn quite a bit that is new and interesting to me.
We all wait with interest to see the video, but will not jump to some inane prejudgement in either direction as you seem to have done. How unfortunate.
Liz Tideswell
Hi,
Yes really. You say there will be a "video"? Glad to hear it.
It's not exactly an attack on an organization to point out that they promised much and so far have failed to deliver.
I think Liz we (the worldwide archaeological community) have been misled about what happened in the Cairo Egyptian Museum on 28th Jan, and subsequently, and that concerns more that "how many objects" were broken and how they can all be repaired. That is not the key issue any more.
I noted that the people who were coming along ostensibly to reveal what was enthusiastically billed as the "whole story" were the very same people that for the preceding months had failed so singularly to give the whole story. WWA called these people however "trusted sources" which did not bode well. I wonder what they did last weekend to justify that trust.
It is not exactly "prejudice" to criticise the lack of reliable information about the investigations into the events in the Museum on Jan 28th and subsequently. At the beginning I was quite willing to accept the official story emerging. The more we learnt, the more simply did not and does not fit and it was clear that the Museum authorities were from the beginning engaged in a not-very-well coordinated attempt to pull the wool over our eyes about what they obviously considered nobody else's business.
I think it is the business of the international community, and not only of archaeologists.
Dear Paul,
First of all you should not underestimate the"World Wide Archaeology Commission"،as I am the representative of WWA.I would like to add to your knowledge this information:
The World Wide Archaeology Commission was established in March 2011 in direct response to the changes sweeping our nation. Our stated aim is to unite all those working in the field of heritage, both nationally and internationally,
whether archaeologist, conservator or restorer. In our modern world there is an ever-increasing need to strengthen the position of World Heritage through the free and open exchange of information and knowledge, through co-operation with colleagues and other organisations across the globe.
From its humble beginnings the WWA continues to grow rapidly. We now include members from every continent – our country now joins with professionals from Spain, Turkey, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom Indonesia and Argentina. From as far south as New Zealand to as far north as Sweden we now engage in discussion of theory, methods, practice and ethics.
Learning from the experience of each other allows us to bring more to the guardianship of World Heritage.
An important part of our goal is to share information through seminars in the spirit open communication. It is with this in mind that we
approach the topic with the co-operation of Egyptian Museum of Antiquities.
So,at the end i am not only a group on facebook gather amateurs to have fun! I think that we are not just a group,we interact directly with the archaeologist through seminars which cooperate with official and well-known organizations and we did till now tow successful seminar and it is only the beginning.
I will post soon a video on our channel on youtube and our group of course showing a part of the seminar.I will inform you then.
by the way Dr.Tarek said in numbers the stolen and returned artifacts.
I welcome any critic and other opinions whatever it is with me or against.
Dear Paul,
First of all you should not underestimate the"World Wide Archaeology Commission"،as I am the representative of WWA.I would like to add to your knowledge this information:
The World Wide Archaeology Commission was established in March 2011 in direct response to the changes sweeping our nation. Our stated aim is to unite all those working in the field of heritage, both nationally and internationally,
whether archaeologist, conservator or restorer. In our modern world there is an ever-increasing need to strengthen the position of World Heritage through the free and open exchange of information and knowledge, through co-operation with colleagues and other organisations across the globe.
From its humble beginnings the WWA continues to grow rapidly. We now include members from every continent – our country now joins with professionals from Spain, Turkey, Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom Indonesia and Argentina. From as far south as New Zealand to as far north as Sweden we now engage in discussion of theory, methods, practice and ethics.
Learning from the experience of each other allows us to bring more to the guardianship of World Heritage.
An important part of our goal is to share information through seminars in the spirit open communication. It is with this in mind that we
approach the topic with the co-operation of Egyptian Museum of Antiquities.
So,at the end i am not only a group on facebook gather amateurs to have fun! I think that we are not just a group,we interact directly with the archaeologist through seminars which cooperate with official and well-known organizations and we did till now tow successful seminar and it is only the beginning.
I will post soon a video on our channel on youtube and our group of course showing a part of the seminar.I will inform you then.
by the way Dr.Tarek said in numbers the stolen and returned artifacts.
I welcome any critic and other opinions whatever it is with me or against.
Hi Eman,
It's not that I "underestimate" the group, as I explained its the use of the adjective "whole" (story) that interested me.
As I say, for the past six months what has stood in the way of getting the "whole story" about 28th Jan has been the attitude of precisely the Museum staff. When he has said something in the past Dr Tarek has not exactly impressed me as a "trusted source", in fact I wonder why he is still in his post after the museum was looted. A year ago precisely today was the robbery in the Mahmoud Khalil Museum, where dismissals followed, and that was just one modern painting. Dr Tareks's "black bag at the metro station" story was just laughable.
It was left to us outside Egypt to try and put together some kind of a story from all the conflicting information our professional colleagues on the ground in Egypt were supplying (or mostly REFUSING to supply) and then whe we publish our conclusions that bad things are happening and something should be done, WE are the ones the Egyptians accuse of "not supporting". Not supporting what? Keeping quiet?
So, tell me, those mummy heads, where in the Museum was the photo taken showing them on the floor with the scattered bones, who put them there, and who showed them to the journalists on 29th Jan telling them the looters had done it? Was that part of the "whole story" that is now being told?
I look forward to seeing the video and learning what the "whole story" now is.
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