Black to Kemet
Placing Egypt in Africa
A photographic exhibition by Andrew Crowe
When you are Black and British looking at our contribution to world history is important because it helps us, and other people, to understand that we all have a connection to Africa because this was where our ancestors came from. As a Black person in Britain it is easy to feel disconnected from Black culture, heritage and history. It’s like having two separate identities that don’t always connect. In the media and the education system Black role models are often neglected. Kemet can play an important role in readdressing the balance. It is an African culture that is popular and is already accepted as part of mainstream education. However, when it is taught it is often taken out of its African cultural context.
For me, going to Egypt was crucial for my own research because it allowed me to look at the evidence with my own eyes, and not someone else’s interpretation. When I looked at the statues and reliefs I noticed that in many cases the facial features that help to identify someone’s race had been damaged. The noses were missing and the mouths had been smashed. But you can still tell that many of the people were Black Africans because of their profiles and the shape of their faces.