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UCLA professor talks Egypt, the environment and women in power at the Royal Theatre tonight

Kara Cooney's multi-media presentation is centered on six queens from ancient Egypt, each of whom rose to top power positions in the ancient world
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UCLA professor Kara Cooney is giving her Egypt-themed When Women Ruled the World presentation at the Royal Theatre on today. Credit: Marissa Stevens

IN PERSON: When Women Ruled the World

Where: The Royal Theatre

When: Wednesday, May 4, 7 p.m.

Tickets: $39.50 from rmts.bc.ca, by phone from 250-386-6121 or in person at the Royal McPherson box office

UCLA professor Kara Cooney covers a lot of ground during her National Geographic Live! presentation, When Women Ruled the World, from the agricultural revolution to hunter-gatherer culture.

The popular Discovery Channel host said she eventually gets around to the topic of Egypt, on which she is an authority, “just when people are elbowing the person beside them, saying ‘You said there was going to be Egypt!’ ”

The best-selling author knows her expertise in the field is what people have come for, and is what led to her eight memorable appearances on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

Cooney uses Ancient Egypt in the context of her National Geographic Live! talk as a spoonful of sugar, to help the medicine go down. The bigger picture is what Cooney really wants to discuss at the Royal Theatre tonight.

“We all agree that society is changing drastically and we all agree that society right now is pretty crappy,” she said from Los Angeles, where she is based.

“We only change when we have to. But when people have to change things, it happens pretty damn fast. And it is going to happen in way that we don’t necessarily expect.”

A professor of Egyptian art and architecture at UCLA, she based When Women Ruled the World on her 2018 book of the same name, buoyed by her many archaeological digs and excavations in Egypt. The multi-media presentation is centered on six queens from ancient Egypt, each of whom rose to top power positions in the ancient world: Merneith of Dynasty 1; Neferusobek of Dynasty 12; Hatshepsut of Dynasty 18; Nefertiti of Dynasty 18; Tawosret of Dynasty 19; and Cleopatra.

There’s a thread that connects all six that will not be spoiled here, but Cooney will deliver it tonight. Women in power in Ancient Egypt should be used as a cautionary tale in today’s world, Cooney said, as it ended quickly and horribly for the aforementioned six — five of whom were pharaohs at one point.

“There’s all kinds of ways of seeing this as highly problematic,” she said.

“When you are dealing with that many women, it’s just patterns and how they connect. But when we get to the end, it’s about how female power can save the world.”

Despite the foreboding tone, Cooney promises to keep the presentation lively and informative. She’s a terrific interview, so all signs point to humour playing a big part in her presentation. She doesn’t use notes, which means her talk is different every time. Cooney said she will add relatable analogies, depending on what’s trending in the world.

Egypt, for all its gold and glamour, and Elizabeth Taylor star vehicles, remains elusive, Cooney said. The power which kings and pharaohs wielded was intoxicating, and their wealth was alluring. Those are are key characteristics of practically every man in power today, she said. “We are obsessed with making that power and wealth God-given,” she said.

“It’s a very American thing, and a very British Imperial thing, to think that we are leaders because the gods have chosen us. It’s very Calvinist, in a way.”

Cooney said she knows well in advance what men who are hesitant to attend are thinking, so she has an answer at the ready. “I’m not man-hating. I’m pro human. This patriarchal bullshit is bullshit. There’s got to be a stopping point for this unsustainable smash-and-grab. War is one thing. But cutting down forests and only seeing lumber as its value is another.

“These women were used as pawns and placeholders. Yes, they could do the job. Yes, they were smart. Can we do it again? Yes, but we have to change the system or nothing will change.”

mdevlin@timescolonist.com