9,485 Abibisika (Black Gold) Points

Rank: Unranked Obibini

“In his discussion of this text, Theophile Obenga states that ‘The pharaoh, in his capacity as guarantor of Maât, was naturally the supreme lord of the country. He was responsible for the maintenance of universal harmony. If that harmony got ruptured, the entire country fell prey to terrible crises, in the form of tremendous social upheavals and terrible psychological, economic and cultural troubles’ (Obenga 2004, 516-517). Carruthers makes a similar point when he states that ‘The Niswt’s overall function, like that of Wosir, is the establishment of Maat in Tawi, i.e., to establish conditions where enlightenment will prevail over ignorance’ (Carruthers 1984, 86) This emphasis on the national government is important given the social values of ancient Kemet. It captures the obligation of the ruler to adhere to the highest ethical standards, and in doing so, instructs the nation in the way of Maat.
However while the nswt’s charge was to concretize Maat in the national life of Kemet, this should not obscure the role of the masses of the populace, whose work would enable Maat to permeate the society. By aspiring to the social ideals of Maat, the denizens of Kemet were expressing the values of the nation, and emulating the principles that they believed governed the cosmos. The preeminence of Maat in classical antiquity poses an interesting challenge to those of us to seeking to live this ideal in the present. This is complicated even more so given that we do not live in a society wherein Maat can be considered a cardinal social value. Quite the contrary. Like Ipuwer, we too might look about the societal landscape and see unrestrained manifestations of isfet. Yet, rather than lamenting these circumstances, I maintain that this creates an opportunity to operationalize Maat. In fact I contend that this is a vitally necessary step if we are concerned about both the restoration of order in the world, as well as the liberation of African people. As Carruthers has instructed, ‘In order to liberate ourselves we must take the world and then reorganize it according to our worldview. Only then will mankind be allowed to live in harmony with the universe. Only then will we be truly free’ (Carruthers 1999, 261).”
-Kamau Rashid, Dd mAat. ir mAat (Speak Maat. Do Maat): Maat as liberatory praxis, published in The Eternal Year of African People from Frontline Books