FIRSTLY, WE WOULD like to thank our outgoing copy editor and writer Jane Mulder for her many years of loyal service. SHEMU would not be where it is today without your valuable contribution. That being said, we would like to give a warm welcome to our new copy editor, Sandra Visser, who brings many years of experience in print media and publishing.
Nerine Dorman: Tell us a little bit about yourself – what you do for a living?
Sandra Visser
Sandra Visser: I’m a copy/sub editor with a love of languages. I’ve worked at a newspaper, a magazine, on newsletters for corporate clients, the communications department of an NGO and in advertising. One of my biggest passions is movies, and I enjoy writing freelance film reviews. I’m also a history buff and bibliophile. I’ve always got both a fiction and non-fiction book on my nightstand.
ND: What is your favourite ancient Egyptian period, and why?
SV: I think I’m more fascinated by women in ancient Egypt than a certain period. So I enjoy reading about the lives of Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra, for example, and the eras in which they lived. What were the circumstances that made it possible for them to rise to power and what traits did they possess to have such influence? I also love ancient Greece and Roman history, so the intersection of these two cultures with ancient Egypt at the time of the Ptolemaic Dynasty and the influence that Cleopatra had over two such powerful men as Julius Caesar and Mark Antony I also find fascinating.
ND: What kindled your love for ancient Egypt?
SV: I think it was probably the vividly illustrated picture books I had as a child. The Usborne books had such intricate, step-by-step drawings of the building of the pyramids and mummification that I was fascinated. I think it’s because the ancient Egyptians were just so different and distinct from everyone else that I found them so interesting. I also love that the gods mostly have animal heads, and as a kid who loved fantasy (and an adult who still does!) this really sparked my imagination! I’m a dog person, so I have a particular affection for Anubis.
ND: Why do you think an interest in ancient Egypt is relevant to South Africans?
SV: As one of the greatest civilisations, I think ancient Egypt is relevant to everyone around the world. The ancient Egyptians had a massive practical influence on the world through their inventions and engineering, and a visual influence on many cultures through their distinctive art. Knowledge of ancient Egypt gives you a deeper understanding of history and also the world around you.
ND: If you had to plan a visit to modern-day Egypt, what are some of the things you’d like to do?
SV: I’d love to explore the new Grand Egyptian Museum and see the artefacts properly displayed in all their glory compared to the dusty, poorly lit maze that was the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. I’d also love to take another Nile cruise and see Abu Simbel again. And also visit Alexandria and its Bibliotheca commemorating the ancient library, which I didn’t get to do when I visited Egypt in the early 2000s.