Opinion: On foreign exhibitions & Egyptian artifacts in Monaco

CAIRO – 7 July 2018: I watched with my eyes what was happening there in “The Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition” in Monaco. This is my testimony to those who stand against holding exhibitions for Egyptian antiquities abroad.

This is my testimony for those who are mazed by propaganda launched by tourism marketing companies that cannot profoundly perceive our country’s glamour.

This is my testimony on ways of changing Egypt’s image worldwide; we are much bigger than the incidents that took place during the past seven years.

We are brighter than the darkness of extremism and the blood of terrorism.

We are richer than economic challenges, and we are stronger on a humanitarian, civil and cultural level, and will not be broken by a turbulent territory or a financial storm.

The road is paved in front of Egypt, but sometimes we do not see clearly. Hearts around the world are filled with the passion that is the beauty of this country; however, there are some people who do not observe, understand or comprehend the magnitude of this beauty.

The forum for Egyptian antiques, which was held in Monaco, showcasing less than 150 masterpieces from the Egyptian Museum, took the French and Italian media by storm, even before it kicked off.

Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Khaled Anany gave a speech about the Egyptian antiquities displayed in the exhibition, where Prince of Monaco Albert II, government officials and representatives from French and Italian newspapers were among the attendees.

Minister of Antiquities Khaled Anany held a press conference on Friday with Grimaldi Forum’s Director and the Minister of Tourism Rania Al-Mashat, before the opening of exhibition in Monaco.

This unique event is hosted by the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, between July 7 and September 9, under the auspices of Prince of Monaco Albert II and the Egyptian government.

The Egyptian government has garnered great financial and marketing profits from the exhibition. According to Anani, the exhibition will include a special pavilion aiming to court French visitors and other tourists to visit Egyptian destinations.

* Egypt has taken an amazing marketing opportunity here on the coasts of southern Europe; it presented the best of its image.

* Egypt has marketed itself to French and Italian tourists without spending a single pound from the public budget; on the contrary, it has made great profits for the state treasury.

* Egypt boosts its relations with other countries by these foreign exhibitions.

* Egypt renews its image by these foreign exhibitions.

* Egypt promotes its beaches and museums by these foreign exhibitions.

* It is strange that some Egyptians are calling on the government to spend more millions on initiatives marketing tourism that do not attract tourists to the country, while at the same time opposing holding exhibitions for Egyptian antiquities on foreign ground.

* “The Gold of the Pharaohs” exhibition in Monaco confirms that our weapon to restore the power of Egyptian tourism is in our hands: it's in this history, this wealth and in this charming picture that shuns the actions of blood-seeking terrorists and ignorant folks within the country.

Do not confine the monuments to the coffins, and let the symbols of this history be our ambassadors worldwide.

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Khaled Salah is the editor-in-chief and father of Egyptian influential daily Youm7; the paper was twice selected by Forbes Middle East as having the most effective news website in the Middle East.


Khaled Salah, editor-in-chief of influential daily Youm7