Weekly Regional Brief

RESTORED SYRIAN ARTIFACTS SHOWN IN PRAGUE

APRIL 13 — The Czech National Museum opened an exhibition entitled “The Renewed Face,” which will feature a selection of 20 ancient Syrian artifacts, particularly from the UNESCO-world heritage site of Palmyra. The pieces were transported from Syria to Czech Republic in 2022 for restoration work. This included various limestone funerary inscriptions, a bronze needle from Ugarit, and religious idols, most dating back to 2500-1500 BCE.

The museum’s cooperation with Syria’s Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums dates to 2017, when it assisted in protecting the country’s museum collections and restoring objects damaged by the war.

The exhibit will last one month, from which point the artifacts will be taken back to Syria.

EGYPTIAN FILMMAKER RECOGNIZED AT THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

APRIL 18 — Haya Khairat, a female Egyptian filmmaker, will be the first Egyptian recipient of the Angéniuex Special Encouragement Award at the Cannes Film Festival. The award is named in tribute to Pierre Angénieux, the inventor of the modern zoom lens, and is primarily aimed at recognizing the contributions of rising stars across the film industry.

The Award itself will give Khairat access to cutting-edge Angénieux camera technology for her upcoming works.

Khairat’s career began at the age of 16, when she began practicing professional photography and proceeded to study at Cairo’s High Cinema Institute. Much of her work focuses on sociocultural topics within Egyptian society. In 2020, she received the Silver Lynx award at Dubai’s Lynx Awards in recognition of her efforts in directing the filming and photography of the ‘Zero Tolerance Ribbon’ campaign against Female Genital Mutilation.

NETFLIX TRAILER ON CLEOPATRA SPARKS CONTROVERSY IN EGYPT 

APRIL 18 — The release of the trailer for Netflix’s upcoming series on the life of Queen Cleopatra, specifically the depiction of the historic figure as black, has sparked certain controversies within Egypt. Lawyer Mahmoud Al-Semary filed a complaint with Egypt’s Public Prosecutor to remove Netflix from the Egyptian market. Al-Semary argued that the trailer contravened local cultural norms, and promoted an Afrocentric view of Egyptian history, fearing it would erase Egyptian identity.

It is yet to be seen if this complaint will be successful. The release of the trailer further provoked criticism from Dr. Zahi Hawass, who previously served as the Egyptian government’s Antiquities Minister. Dr. Hawass was quoted saying: “This is completely fake. Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was blonde, not black.”

LOS ANGELES EXHIBIT EXPLORES ROLE OF MENA WOMEN IN ART 

APRIL 23 — The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or LACMA, announced a new exhibition entitled ‘Women Defining Women in Contemporary Art of the Middle East and Beyond,’ which will feature 75 separate works. The exhibit is set to focus on the role of women artists in driving forward artistic expression in the region, particularly with regard to its ongoing sociocultural and political transitions.

Out of the 42 involved artists, Laila Shawa and Huda Lutfi are significant for focusing specifically on women’s issues. Laila, a Palestinian visual artist, is set to present ‘Disposable Bodes 4 (Shahrazad),’ which pinpoints “symbolic recollections of violence.” Likewise, Hada’s ‘Red Shoes’ speaks to the relationship between women and patriarchal Egyptian society.

The exhibition will run from April 23 to September 24, 2023.