Inspired by a new exhibition Kemet: Egypt in Hip-hop, Jazz, Soul & Funk, the Nile Valley Collective takes a look at cultures all over the world encountering and interpreting the ancient cultures of the Nile Valley. The exhibition is currently on view in the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, the Netherlands.
The global impact of the ancient Nile Valley
The ancient cultures of the Nile Valley inspire people all over the world. This includes people with a shared African heritage and others without a direct connection.
The ancient art and artifacts spark the creative minds of artists, musicians, architects, authors, as well as designers of video games, comic books, advertisements, cakes, clothing, jewelry, and countless other things that express our resonance with those ancient cultures.
See below for a few examples of just how global the human connection with the ancient Nile Valley is.
In the Netherlands, delve into African resonances with ancient cultures
Music
A 2023 exhibition at the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, the Netherlands, explores cultural connections that African-descended artists have made with the Nile Valley through various genres of music.
Click image (courtesy of Rijksmuseum van Oudheden) for exhibition page
Modern and ancient Egypt encounter one another via the US
More music
Giza-born rapper Moscow brings his Egyptian background to an art form that originated in the US.
Click image (courtesy of Moscow) for full video
In China, Abu Simbel merges with a pyramid
Park
An outdoor amusement park in Chongqing, China, features this “pyramid adventure,” as the Chinese characters inform us.
Screenshot from Blockchain Travel
An interpretation of Nile Valley workers in the US Midwest
Office building
Ancient Nile Valley style figures adorn the design above the front doors of the Circle Tower office building, completed in 1930 and located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana.
Image from HistoricIndianapolis.com
Italian cinema brings the Nile Valley to Japan
Movie theatre
Tokyo’s Denkikan, Japan’s first movie house, was decorated in Egyptian style for the 1914 release of the Italian silent film Antony and Cleopatra.
Image courtesy of Dr. Margaret Maitland
An array of African cultures displayed in England
Combs
A 2013 exhibition at The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, England, explored connections through the cultural artifact of the hair comb.
Click image (courtesy of UCL Culture Blog) for exhibition page
A dairy product replicated the Nile Valley in the US South
Model
Visitors to the Texas State Fair in 2008 were treated to a temple installation featuring hieroglyph-covered walls, Anubis, and a sarcophagus, all made from butter.
Image courtesy of Pookie & Schnookie
In South Korea, encounter the Nile Valley via a Swiss company’s design
Fun ride
Pharaoh’s Fury, located at Lotte World recreation complex in Seoul, South Korea, is an immersive ride through Nile Valley worlds.
Image courtesy of Intamin Amusement Rides
US TV comedy captures the “modalities and melodies” of King Tut
Video
In Steve Martin’s 1978 roast of commercialism in Egyptology, he famously quipped that Tutankhamun “gave his life for tourism.”
Click image (courtesy of Saturday Night Live) for full video
Nile Valley temple decor in the US South
Religious space
Built in the mid-1850s, the interior and exterior of the Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee, draws heavily on artistic and architectural designs of the ancient Nile Valley.
Image courtesy of V. Davies
Screenwriters in Spain tell a Nile Valley story centered in England
Film
The Spanish writing and production team of this animated film tells the story of three mummies on a quest in modern-day London.
Click image (courtesy of Doblaje Wiki) to see movie trailer
Deliveries through the Nile Valley inspired pylon gate garage
Factory
Built in 1923, the Ballard & Ballard Company’s factory in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, produced Obelisk brand flour.
Image courtesy of Clay Cofer
A sweet take on the Nile Valley
Cake
On the US TV show Cake Boss, Buddy Valastro used ancient ingredients to create a spectacular sarcophagus.
Click image (courtesy of TLC Southeast Asia) for full video
An English interpretation of Nile Valley architecture
Dwelling
The Egyptian House in Penzance, England, currently ground-floor shops and upper-floor dwellings, dates to the mid-1830s.
Image courtesy of Christopher John Photography via Historic England
Nile Valley Collective 