Ironically, there were just a handful of us at the Giza Pyramid in May. But as I said before, the more the merrier. I love to be around people and share in their joy at Africa's incredible monumental contribution to the world's history.
When I visited Beijing's Forbidden City about a decade ago, the place was jam packed with tourists, most of them local. I learnt a lot from the co-visitors, their excitement and wonder, and I even got to see a cross-section of the Chinese population. I even took out photos with a few people. My hair was braided and a few people
were curious about it and pleasantly asked me to take a few shots with them. That was an equally wonderful aspect of my visit.
Those photos are still hanging on my wall. The atmosphere of excitement generated by the crowd, was there, too, when I last visited the Jos open air museum in Plateau State. I loved it all.
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2017 8:51 AM
To: usaafricadialogue
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Journey to Giza, Egypt: https://vimeo.com/233936826
Hi Gloria, Michael
It isn't "authenticity" which is what I am commenting on, but the experience of the site. When I referred to notre dame, it was to the experience of a large cathedral filled with hundreds of people, gathered before their tour guide, waving a little flag so they would know she was there, shouting out incomprehensible facts and points of interest, participating in the cacophony of the surrounding sound. Perhaps for people who must say, I was in paris and went to the Eiffel tower, to notre dame cathedral, to the louvre, it is important. But I'd run the other way. Inside the louvre, they have a room for the mona lisa. Crowds jamming in front of it, holding up their phones to click the image, great! What a way to experience art. In fact, the only thing being experienced is the tourist experience itself.
The painting is the same, with or without the crowds. But "authenticity" doesn't interest me: benjamin's aura is yesterday's value. Consumer capitalism does interest me, and it is responsible for destroying the aura of yesterday.
ken
Kenneth Harrow
Dept of English and Film Studies
http://www.english.msu.edu/people/faculty/kenneth-harrow/
From: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Reply-To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Date: Monday, 25 September 2017 at 05:53
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>, "Emeagwali, Gloria (History)" <emeagwali@ccsu.edu>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Journey to Giza, Egypt: https://vimeo.com/233936826
Thanks, Gloria and Ken. I'm always fascinated by these sites of antiquities. I'm glad this one in Egypt is still authentic. The Ife museum of Yoruba antiquities located at the Oba's palace used to be the real site for having a view of artifacts of the earliest Yoruba. Today it has become mere relics of its ancient past. Moyo Okediji mobilized his team of African University of Arts folks this summer to commence the restoration of many ancient sites in Ile-Ife. I hope the effort continues to be encouraged. Forgetting one's past is not getting one's future.
Michael
===
On Monday, September 25, 2017, 2:10:26 AM CDT, Emeagwali, Gloria (History) <emeagwali@ccsu.edu> wrote:
Well Ken, you and I are on the same page because Notre Dame interests me not -
but every single site in Africa, from northeast Africa to west
and south and central, interests me, and it will take the impossible
to dampen that interest. I would even add that African sites
including those in Egypt, need more tourists. Why not?
In fact, armed with my amateur video camera- since I am NOT a professional film maker,
and never claimed to be one - I plan to continue to visit innumerable sites around the continent
to continue to document these sites.
I am totally self funded so I don't need the approval of anyone.
To answer the real question that Michael asked - rather than the fake one answered by Ken-
let me say that the Giza site seems to be quite authentic. Rehabilitation
of the pyramid would have meant restoration of the outer casing, but this has not been done, apparently.
This is not necessarily the case with all sites, though. If you view the Ethiopian Yeha Temple
you do see a lot of scaffolding holding it up . When I visited that site in 2010 that was not the case but by 2016
there was a clear difference. We are actually happy that there was an intervention to prolong the life of the structure.
Rehabilitation is both an art and a science and absolutely welcome in many cases.
Some of these sites would have needed more intervention than others, given the nature of the original project, the
building material, workmanship, climatic and ecological change and the presence or absence of pillaging and theft.
As for the spiritual dimension, well religions come and go and so, too, their relevance, I suppose. The biggest challenge
may be when objects are removed from their original resting place and transported to an alien land by vandals and interlopers.
Thank you for your question, Michael.
Gloria
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Kenneth Harrow <harrow@msu.edu>
Sent: Saturday, September 23, 2017 11:58 PM
To: usaafricadialogue
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Journey to Giza, Egypt: https://vimeo.com/233936826
Michael's questions are great, in general. Ever been in notre dame cathedral in paris? We can say the answers to michael's questions there are the same, more or less, for any site that is famous on the tourist track. I can say I was taken to Oshogbo once, and it was lightly raining, only one other person besides my host was there, and it was truly magical.
But perhaps it doesn't qualify for the tourists as does notre dame.
For myself, I'd rather see a bad movie than visit any famous tourist site
ken
Kenneth Harrow
Dept of English and Film Studies
http://www.english.msu.edu/people/faculty/kenneth-harrow/
From: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Reply-To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Date: Saturday, 23 September 2017 at 23:00
To: usaafricadialogue <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>, "Emeagwali, Gloria (History)" <emeagwali@ccsu.edu>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Journey to Giza, Egypt: https://vimeo.com/233936826
Thanks for sharing this, Gloria. Two questions, and you may not yourself have an answer to them: I've always wondered if these monuments are the original ones constructed in the BCs or if a great deal of renovations have taken place to ensure they are still standing. Secondly, these tombs were once regarded as sacred, they may still be as such in some quarters, but in light of the heavy commercialization of the sites through the tourism industry, is there anything left outside the secular? Just thinking loud. Thanks a bunch.
Michael
--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
On Friday, September 15, 2017, 10:32:23 AM CDT, Emeagwali, Gloria (History) <emeagwali@ccsu.edu> wrote:
--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
--
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To subscribe to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Current archives at http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
Early archives at http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
No comments:
Post a Comment