Pan African Metaphysical Epistemology: A Pentagonal Introduction (Report)

Introduction This paper was presented at the 19th Annual Cheikh Anta Diop Conference premised by the observation that the millions of people who read historical novels and attend recent theatre productions based on ancient Egypt, particularly the 18th dynasty, are being misinformed under the guise of being entertained. (i) The novels, while historically accurate in the sense of names, dates, and places, omit key cultural values of Egypt such as Maat, in favor of drama and intrigue. Furthermore, those who consume these works include the literate, active book-buying and theatre-attending segment of the world's population, and most likely include people who teach. The consequences are that a subtle misconstrued image of Ancient Egypt can indirectly be perpetuated within the academic setting. (ii)