Culture

Egypt retrieves 2,700-year-old ‘Green Coffin’ Sarcophagus, smuggled to United States

Published

2 years ago

January 3, 2023

After months of intense negotiations, a 2,700-year-old ‘Green Coffin’ sarcophagus dating back to the late Dynastic Period of ancient Egypt, has eventually returned home after it was smuggled to the United States through Germany in 2008.

Officials of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities who received the artefact on Monday, said it dates back from an era that spanned the last of the Pharaonic rulers from 664 B.C. until Alexander the Great’s campaign in 332 B.C.

The ‘Green Coffin’ which was featured at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences was symbolically handed over at a ceremony in Cairo by the U.S. chargé d’affaires in Egypt, according to Mostafa Waziri, the head of the Council.

All the details of the reterival of the green sarcophagus were announced during a joint press conference at the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry in Cairo, which was held by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Eissa, in the presence of the Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Cairo.

The handover, according to Waziri, came more than three months after the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office determined the sarcophagus was looted from Abu Sir Necropolis, north of Cairo.

The stunning sarcophagus coffin which is almost 3 meters (9.5 feet) tall with a brightly painted top surface, is suspected to have belonged to an ancient priest and was trafficked by a well-organized network that has looted countless antiquities from the region, Waziri said.

“We are pleased that this object will be returned to Egypt, where it rightfully belongs.”

In the last decade, Egypt has been able to recover over 29,000 artefacts that were stolen and sold outside of the country and with the return of the priceless objects, the Antiquities Council head believes it would enable the North African country boost its tourism sector which has yet to recover from the impact of the Covid crisis.

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Culture

Ghana’s Supreme Court dismisses suit challenging anti-LGBT bill

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Ghana’s Supreme Court has dismissed two separate suits challenging the legality of one of the proposed anti-LGBT legislations awaiting assent into law by the president.

The separate suits were filed by two legal practitioners, Amanda Odoi and Richard Sky, challenging the bill, seeking to declare it illegal and prevent the president from signing it.

The two cases had challenged the constitutionality of the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.

But in a ruling on Wednesday, the Supreme Court unanimously decided to dismiss the legal challenges to the new anti-LGBT legislation that has been criticised by rights groups.

The controversial bill was passed earlier this year by Ghanaian lawmakers with three years imprisonment for people identifying as LGBT and five years for forming or funding LGBT groups.

While dismissing the cases, presiding judge, Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson, who delivered the ruling on behalf of the seven-member panel, said the cases were premature.

“Until there’s presidential assent, there is no act, the two cases were “unanimously dismissed,” she said.

The ruling is the latest blow to the LGBTQ community in Ghana and paves the way for the president to sign into law what many say is one of Africa’s most restrictive piece of anti-LGBTQ legislation.

President Nana Akufo-Addo, whose term in office ends on 7 January, had delayed signing it pending the outcome of the Supreme Court challenge but the judges said the case could not be reviewed until it had been signed it into law.

It expected that incoming president, John Mahama, will sign the bill into law as he had always expressed his support for the bill during his electioneering campaigns.

Culture

UNESCO lists Ghana’s Kente cloth as cultural heritage

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The iconic Ghanaian Kente, a piece of clothing, has been recognized as a cultural heritage on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The global recognition, according to the UN body, is coming under the 2003 Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage highlights the cultural and historical significance of the vibrant, handwoven textile.

In a citation on its website, UNESCO describes the Kente cloth as “originating from Ghana’s Asante and Ewe communities and renowned worldwide for its bold colors, intricate patterns, and deep symbolic meanings, embodying the creativity and identity of the Ghanaian people.”

Ghana’s Tourism Minister, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, described the recognition as a testament to Ghana’s commitment to preserving its cultural heritage.

“This achievement places Ghana at the forefront of global efforts to safeguard and celebrate cultural traditions,” he noted.

In a statement acknowledging the recognition, Mercer said the “Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, UNESCO, and the artisans, cultural institutions, and traditional authorities who contributed to this milestone.”

“Special acknowledgement is given to the Bonwire and Agotime communities for their enduring role as custodians of the craft.

“As Ghana celebrates this historic moment, MoTAC reaffirms its dedication to promoting and preserving the nation’s rich cultural legacy.”