The abridged version of Yvonne Bassey’s AMVCA-winning documentary, The Gift of the Nile, is undoubtedly a masterpiece. The research and information that went into the work is mind-blowing.
Bassey takes us on a journey through the land of the Pharaohs, uncovering the wonders of a civilization that dates back many centuries ago. The film connects the River Nile with the worship of the Sun in ancient Egypt and goes on to talk about the various Pyramids in Egypt and their significance.
It is surprising to hear that some of the pyramids served as the final resting place for the Pharaohs and that people went to steal the expensive ornaments with which the royals were buried.
It calls to mind the legend that Tutankhamen’s tomb was accursed, though Microbiologists believe that the said curse on his tomb were spores of Histoplasma capsulatum, a fungus which causes histplasmosis, a rare, fatal systemic/deep-seated mycotic (fungal) infection. It was said that anyone who went to Tutankhamen’s tomb, attempting to steal, died afterwards.
According to Wikipedia, the 1922 discovery by Howard Carter and George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon of Tutankhamun’s nearly intact tomb received worldwide press coverage. It sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt, for which Tutankhamun’s burial mask, now in the Cairo Museum, remains a popular symbol.
Bassey is commended for commencing a conversation on the age-long controversy over the existence of any kind of civilization in Africa before colonialism. It will be interesting to see the thirty-minute version as the 9-minute motion picture only serves to whet one’s appetite.
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