Egypt to open Nasser museum in 2015
State-sponsored cultural emblems have become commonplace since the military took power in July 2013, but at the expense of free cultural expression.
CAIRO, Egypt — In Manshiyet El-Bakry stands the house where Gamal Abdel Nasser lived and died. Millions of Egyptians thronged these European boulevards on Oct. 1, 1970, to mourn the passing of Nasser and his pan-Arabist project.
But until now, the Heliopolis home has never been open to the public.
Egypt's Culture Ministry has just announced a plan to open up Nasser's residence with a museum by 2015. Minister Gaber Asfour said it will present the "formation of our national history," something President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi recently invoked by claiming the "January 25, 2011, and June 30, 2013, revolutions are continuations of the revolution of July 23, 1952."
Although Hosni Mubarak floated a similar scheme, the timing of Asfour's announcement is striking when the state appears busy building a totemic ideal of Egyptian history and culture.
