St. John Rigby RC College visited the Horniman Museum on the morning of Tuesday, 18th January, 2001.

As the visit preceded their introductory session, the morning started with Tony introducing the Inspiration Africa! team and outlining the project. Sola then led a name game with the pupils taking it in turns to provide movements to their names along to a clapping rhythm (roll your mouse over the left picture to see another).

Pupils were then situated in front of their key object, the Egyptian Coffin to hear Viv talk of its history and that of ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egypt used to be called Kemet, 'The Black Land' and it was the first civilised society in the world which developed along the Nile valley in north eastern Africa.
Read more background info.

The ancient Egyptians believed that a person's soul left the body at death. After burial the soul was reunited with the body and lived on in the afterlife.

For this to happen the body had to be well preserved. The body was mummified and placed in a coffin like this with decorations, symbols and writing addressed to the protectors of the afterlife. Read more background info.

Pupils were then told their project keyword - BELIEF, given worksheets and asked to write down their impressions of the coffin and dislay. Most pupils were impressed by the age of the coffins and the fact that they were in such good condition.

"The coffin display was set out beautifully, in a way that you could see everything. The paintings on them were interesting and I wish I could read them. They are very detailed and I can't believe they are from 5,000 years ago and in such good condition."

They valued their belief system -

"I think the coffins and mummies showed that the after-life is something that is very important to them and is a strong part of their belief and I think it's a shame that we don't have such a strong and dominant belief at the moment. "

"It is good how the Egyptians believed in life after death of the physical body."

But regarding embalming weren't so impressed with "how they can pull out their brains through their nose" or the disparity between the rich and the poor "I don't think it was right that the poor people had their insides crushed and the rich people had theirs kept in a nice displayed vase."

Below left - representing after-life and what will happen in it.
Below right - representing growth and eternity.
Mouse over drawings below to view Crown and picture on right.

Left - Nature Spirit

Mouse over drawing to see -

Spirit bottle from Haitian Vodoo Shrine, "decorated to make something not valuable, valuable"

Also mouse over picture to see pupils watching video about the making of benin plaques.