DISTURBING THE DEAD? OPENING OF 2,600-YR-OLD MUMMY DIVIDES NET

A viral clip of Egyptian authorities opening up a 2,600-year-old coffin has drawn heated reactions three years after it was first posted.

The video, posted in 2020 by New Zealand's ambassador to Egypt, shows a group of Egyptian officials flanked by curious onlookers prying open a mummy - in a scene that commenters have slammed as 'chaotic and disrespectful.'

The reactions illustrate Africans' reverence for the dead and their concern for how the dead are treated.

And it reminds one of the 'curse of the pharaohs,' alleged to be cast on anyone who disturbs the mummy of an ancient Egyptian, especially a pharaoh. This legend gained currency in the 1920s after the mysterious deaths of the team that opened Tutankhamun's tomb. While the deaths were attributed to scientific reasons, such as fungal infections, they inspired horror films and rumours of the curse, which persist to this day.

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