Politics and Heritage in Egypt

Culture In Development (Rene Teijgeler)

Thanks to Jan Picton for the link. The link on the above page opens as a PDF. Exerpt:

The public outcry against the looting of Egypt’s National Museum and several archaeological sites underlines the concern of the international heritage community over the safety of Egypt’s heritage. Many remind us of the blast in 2001 of the Bamyan Buddha’s in Afghanistan and the massive plunder of Iraq’s heritage after the 2003 invasion. As common in times of unrest and chaos the information coming from the conflict zone is often contradictory and not always reliable. To make at least a little sense of the information it has to be put in its context. What is the socio-political and economical context of the recent plundering? What is the role of Egypt’s cultural heritage in this ‘Lotus revolution’?

Rene Teijgeler
Culture in Development
www.cultureindevelopment.nl