Tina Turner once sang about being the reincarnation of the Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut, a woman who dressed like a man and ruled over ancient Egypt. She was the fifth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty, ruling from 

1479 BC until she died in 1458 BC.

Miles Davis, Prince, and Erykah Badu also borrowed inspirational lyrics from the pharaohs.

How ancient Egypt influenced today’s stories is displayed in “Kemet: Egypt in Hip Hop, Jazz, Soul  & Funk.” The National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, which is based in the Netherlands, declares, “Egypt is a part of Africa.”

This follows an issue in National Geographic written in the February 2008 issue that “Africa Conquered Ancient Egypt: The Black Pharaohs.”

According to the museum website, the exhibition explores how ancient Egypt and Nubia have inspired and functioned as a source of strength, knowledge, and inspiration for artists of African descent.

The exhibition juxtaposes Egyptian objects with music, music videos, and album covers from well-known artists, including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Miles Davis, Sun Ra, the Sugar Hill Gang, and Earth, Wind & Fire. Nina Simone said she believed she was Nefertiti reincarnated. Neferneferuaten Nefertiti was a queen of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, and the great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten.

The exhibition features a multimedia exhibition designed by architect Afaina de Jong of AFARAI design studio and is accompanied by a program of special events, concerts, and lectures.

But some officials in Egypt are upset.

The national museum received an email from the head of foreign missions of the Egyptian Antiquities Service saying that the museum is “falsifying history” with its “Afrocentric” approach, a Dutch newspaper NRC and the BBC reported on Monday.

According to the BBC and NRC, the museum stated that a senior Egyptian antiquities official communicated in an email that it was to discontinue excavating on the site of Saqqara after almost 50 years.

This follows comedian Kevin Hart being forced recently to cancel a show in Cairo because of his “Afrocentric views.”

I have been to Cairo. I sailed up the Nile, visited the Muhammed Ali Temple, lay on its plush green carpet, and listened every evening to call for prayers, but when I saw Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s Temple, I thought I had died and gone to heaven.