Fond Farewell to Laure Pantalacci at IFAO Garden Party
Sometimes you can dislike people without reason and this is wrong. I came to this realization at a garden party held by the French Institute in Cairo last week. The former director of the IFAO in Cairo, Dr. Bernard Mathieu, was removed from his position as director by someone in France. This person, whom I will not name, is conceited and made many people, including several French archaeologists, very angry with his decision to remove Dr. Mathieu. I do not understand why this person seems to go out of their way to harm relations between France and Egypt. He has not accomplished anything great in Egyptology and he has hurt many people in the process.
When the replacement for Dr. Mathieu was announced the Egyptians were very concerned that the replacement would not be good for Egyptian and French relations. I found myself not liking Dr. Mathieu’s replacement before they even arrived in Cairo.
I am happy to say that I was very wrong in my assumptions. The current director of the IFAO, Dr. Laure Pantalacci, is a wonderful woman and has done great things during her time in Cairo. She has worked here for 5 years and has done excellent work and has always been very kind and polite. She tried to help everyone who came to her Institute and she solved every problem peacefully. She also went out of her way to keep good relations between the SCA and the IFAO. She organized an exhibit to show the work of the French in Egypt and everyone loved her. I really like her and have had dinner with her and others on several occasions.
Very recently we found out that Dr. Pantalacci would be removed from her position and that she would not be continuing as IFAO Director. It was a big surprise to all of us and we will miss her very much. Recently the IFAO held their annual garden party and they honored Laure for her wonderful service in Cairo. I was very pleased to go and to give a speech in her honor. I wish Laure the best and I hope her replacement is as wonderful as she has been for Egypt.
Further information:
Receiving Honorary Doctorate in Bulgaria
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