Romanticizing the ancient past is often used by modern nation states as an instrument to bolster nationalism. This often functions to instil a sense of pride in the population to view themselves as direct descendants of a great civilisation and therefore can take credit for its achievements. Typically, this is done through monumentalising ancient artefacts as expressions of power. In the case of Egypt, ancient Egypt is seen as the primary representation of Egyptian identity and there is a recurring theme of manipulation by its rulers to advance their authoritarian agendas.

Egyptology has its origins in Western colonialism. British, American, German, Austrian and Italian Egyptologists took a prominent role in uncovering Egypt’s ancient civilisation and its artefacts. This was not due to lack of native interest. Egyptians were systematically prevented from participating in Egyptology. Under British and French rule, Egyptology was intentionally omitted from school curriculums for fear that it would stimulate local national pride and a desire for independence. It was also felt that Egyptians who knew hieroglyphics were a threat to French control of the antiquities service. It was not until the 1919 revolution against British colonialism and the controversial 1922 discovery of the tomb of king Tutankhamun that the long struggle for native participation in Egyptology was coming to an end.

Egyptian identity is perceived through the Western colonial lens of its ancient past. European Egyptologists have continuously attempted to claim heritage to ancient Egyptians due to their connections with Greece and Rome by giving them the status of ‘honorary Westerners’ and imparting their achievements as that of Western civilisation. This can also be seen in pop culture as pharaohs and people of ancient Egypt are represented as white European. The separation of ancient Egyptian heritage from the Coptic and Islamic civilisations that followed, created a discontinuity in Egyptian cultural identity, leaving modern Egyptians feeling disconnected to their ancient past, as they relate more to their Arab identities, and more recent Islamic and Coptic civilisations. This Western narrative of Egyptian identity has also been used to attract foreign visitors and their money. To do this, archaeological sites and museums tend to narrate an ancient civilisation void of negativity as it doesn’t attract revenue. It remains that the pharaohs and the ancient Egyptian civilisation was a dynastic empire that exercised inequality, brutality and injustices. It is instead performed in military and nationalist regimes to reinstate its totalitarianism and repair current Egyptian identity through the Western idea of what Kader Attia calls the ‘myth of the perfect’.

This is perfectly embodied in the lavish, highly curated ‘Pharaohs Golden Parade’ that took place in Cairo in April 2021, as 22 mummies were transferred from the Egyptian Museum to the new National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation. The parade was filmed and widely circulated, centring the military dictator of Egypt, Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi and his populist brand of neo-pharoism to strengthen the military regime's authority and nation building. The aim of the video was glaringly apparent: to instate Sisi as the modern pharaoh and to erase any traces of 2011 revolution from collective memory. The 2011 revolution took place in Tahrir square which has since been turned into a nationalist theatre for the glorification of an authoritarian past. It has recently been renovated along with the buildings that surround it. Walls of revolutionary graffiti that included protestors who fell victim to the army’s brutality were torn down. Ancient Egyptian symbolism such as sphynx statues and an obelisk were installed in the centre of the square alongside professional accent lighting. The parade beginning at and spotlighting the new square, makes clear who its intended new audience is; tourists it is trying to attract by highlighting its colonial-architectural heritage and intentionally neglecting its current society and their existing problems. The government erected barriers to keep impoverished areas of Egypt out of sight in the video along with the majority of poor Egyptians that reside in them. Some Cairo residents were turned away by security when attempting to attend the event. Archaeologists have voiced their concerns about the artefacts that have been placed in the most polluted part of the city where their deterioration might accelerate.

Pharaonic symbols are associated with advances in science and civilisational development and thus offer legitimacy to Sisi's authoritarian regime. Sisi’s performance of public piety shown in the video and the aestheticization of the military draws further parallels between the two regimes. The parade reinforces a militarised culture. A blend of neo-Pharoahism and military decoration is scattered throughout the video. From the military tanks used to transport mummies, a 21-gun salute for the tombs as they entered their new home and the glaring presence of military in uniform throughout the video. Egypt has a 70-year history of being ruled by a succession of military men. There is a prominent privileged and untouchable military class, a class divide that has been exacerbated since the beginning of Sisi’s rule. The Egyptian military state’s fantasy expressed in this parade will remain mythical as everyday Egyptians continue to suffer under the oppressive militarisation of the state that denies their humanity and further diminishes any hope for their calls for social and economic justice.

The distribution of this military propaganda and revealing the contemporary realities of Egyptian’s is symbolised in a phenakistiscope, in a shape resembling the revolutionary Tahrir square. Taking inspiration from William Kentridge, I use stop animation as a tool to express the cycles of power and brutality that the Egyptian people have continued to suffer from. By appropriating ancient Egyptian wall art and symbolism, the storyboard is photo-etched on brass metal. At the centre is an obelisk, mimicking the obelisk at the centre of the renovated Tahrir square; the military man is represented with a donkey’s head, to symbolise the cruel case of an Egyptian man who was arrested for naming his donkey after the current Egyptian dictator; the eyes represent the surveillance that occurs in Egypt; and the border is a cross section of military tank tyres.