ABSTRACT
It is an unfortunate fact that due to the protected underground location of tombs, much of what archeologists have uncovered and recovered throughout the decades are funerary texts. However, contemporary archeology is now able to provide us with a new and more accurate depiction of life in the ancient African world with the collections of poetry, written stories, and songs that were previously unexcavated. These other forms of communication have shed light on the vibrancy, exuberance, and joyfulness of everyday life in these societies. This is an important communicative context to highlight in order to combat the erroneous impression that ancient Africans mostly concerned themselves with death and the so-called afterlife (astral realm). Depictions of ancient Africans, including Kemites, as obsessed with death have concealed the much richer Kemetic arts and expressions of love, joy, exhilaration, heartbreak, and the full range of human emotions. Kemites not only experienced but left written for posterity. Lost in the zeal to Other, mythicize, and vilify Kemetic culture are the voices of Kemites themselves who expressed their joy in partaking Maat through short stories, poems, anecdotes, biographies, and many other written artforms. An ethical life is the one that can offer feelings of satisfaction and happiness as well as serious reflection and conflict. This chapter is an exploration of the moral ideal of Maat in a communication context with aspects of the ancient Kemetic life seldom, seen, heard, and acknowledged. It is they who will finish telling this story.
