The Afrocentric movement, which has arisen from Black nationalists seeking to reject European influence, has encroached on both historical fact and the legitimacy of modern-day Egyptians to their ancient cultural heritage.
The movement claims that those currently living within Egypt are essentially imposters and that Ancient Egypt was originally a Black civilization.
It is this line of reasoning that has led to the controversial portrayal of Cleopatra as Black within Netflix’s mini-series “Queen Cleopatra” (2023), which was critically-panned and sparked outrage amongst Egyptians.
Three most of the movement’s most eminent figures include Anta Diop (1923 – 1986), Molefi Kete Asante (1942) and activist Malcom X (1926 – 1965).
Several of its beliefs state that the US and Europe seeks to get rid of its Black populations, who in-turn desire to be first-class citizens. Zionists and Israels owing to their close ties to the US in turn would prefer to have Egypt populated by Black Americans.
According to the movement, Black Americans are the true inheritors of ancient Egyptians – while those living in Egypt today are the descendants of Greek, Roman and Arab colonizers that have kicked the original Black Egyptians out.
Under these Afrocentric beliefs, only Copts and Nubians can lay claim to Egyptian heritage and not Arab Muslims.
The scientific response
Of course, none of these beliefs are backed by science.
The Max Planck Institute in Germany determined that there was no prominent black race in Egypt until 600 AD – not a single black gene appeared in Egyptian mummies from 1200 BC till 600 AD, and only eight percent appeared after 600 AD due to slavery and the national trade between sub-Saharan Africa and Mediterranean Africa, including Egypt.
This means 900 years after the end of 30 dynasties of the Egyptian civilization! Alexander the Great arrived in Egypt during 332 BC.
The Stanford and Barcelona Universities have also confirmed that Blacks first came to live in Egypt only 750 years ago. And Harvard University research on Clopantry Sudanese mummies revealed that the current Nubians are not descendants of the Clopantry mummies, and these mummies are actually closer to the Egyptians.
Genetic studies from inhabitants of the Horn of Africa Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti, whether indigenous or non-indigenous, do not correspond with Egyptian genes.
Egyptian Professor Yahya Zakaria Gad conduced genetic research on the family of Tutankhamun, published in the Jama journal with the participation of Zahi Hawass, Samia Ismail and Tarek Taha, which compared their data to the genes of current Egyptians.
Their results showed an 88.6 percent match with current Egyptians.
Professor Tarek Taha also replicated research from American geneticist Margarett Kendell on Egyptian genes, which found that 97.5 percent of the genes of Egyptians, Muslims and Copts, are the same!
In the American Journal of Human Genetics chapter “The Egyptians in All of Us”, Cambridge scientists revealed that humanity spread out from what is now Egypt to Asia and Europe 55,000 years ago.
Common Afrocentric claims
Several allegations from the movement state that Queen Tiye, the wife of Amenhotep III, is evidence that that Egyptians were originally black.
However research by Professor Taha who investigated the tomb of Tiye’s parents, Thuya and Yuya at the the Tahrir Museum found that were genetically Egyptian, alongside their children and grandchild, Tutankhamen.
Artwork found on a sandal shows imagery of an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh holding up a black warrior, which represent his authority over Egypt’s enemies and contradict Afrocentrist claims.
Ancient Greek historian Herodotus’s reports that he personally saw dark-skinned Egyptians with curly hair are also used as a common source of proof by the movement, but this can be explained by the Nubian invasion to Egypt during the 25th Dynasty which lasted for 60 years from 715 BC – 655 BC.
The broken noses of ancient Egyptian statues have been used by Afrocentrists as evidence that they have Black features and their faces were broken to hide this fact – but in actuality this was done as a spiritual belief to allow the spirit to leave the body.
Our heritage
Both classical and colloquial Arabic language has over thousands of ancient Egyptian words – we even have Arabic hieroglyphic letters such as the letter ba, the letter nun, the letter ha.
Even the names of our children are derived from Ancient Egyptian pharaohs such as Ramses, Thutmose, Merit, etc. We still perform the same rituals of our ancestors as the seven day birth celebration, the 40th day ceremony after death, and visiting our deceased relatives on the first day of the feast.
Yet you Afrocentrists do not have a single pyramid, temple, or hieroglyphic letter to your name.
You American Zionists are the true imposters!
