Returning to the Source: Reflections on My 70th Journey to Egypt

I’m grateful for every lesson learned this lifetime

While reflecting on my 75th Birthday, and 70 trips to Egypt, I’m grateful for every lesson learned this lifetime

The late Tony Brown once said

“It doesn’t matter what others call you. What matters is what you respond to.”

This reflection on my 70th trip to Egypt traces a journey from knowledge of self, through confrontation and constraint, toward a transformation that reminded us why returning to the source remains essential.

Knowledge of self has always been essential to personal development. To know who you are—and where to seek the knowledge that strengthens you— is vital to growth.

Following Asa Hilliard’s call to “return to the source” has been crucial to my own growth. It is why I have spent 46 years traveling to the Nile Valley: 70 trips to Egypt, three to Ethiopia, and one to Sudan.

When it comes to African heritage, knowing who not to listen to is as important as knowing who to listen to. Unfortunately, that realization is one many people may never grasp.

The Return

I traveled to Egypt twice this summer.

My June trip was arguably one of the best I have ever experienced. Yet when I returned just seven days later, I was met with one of the most exasperating and challenging encounters of my career.

Egyptian National Security shadowed us everywhere we went. They took extraordinary measures, even forbidding me from giving the evening lectures I had offered for four decades.

Our group responded to the restrictions by boycotting vendors in Cairo and Luxor. Instead, we chose to direct our money to vendors in Aswan.

Confronted with unexpected challenges, we pivoted with purpose, finding ways to accomplish our objectives while joyfully celebrating our ancestors and ourselves.

Those assigned to surveil us were dumbfounded by our resilience. A vendor who attempted to exploit members of our group came to regret his actions when confronted by the group’s resolve.

We were resolute, resourceful, and respectful.

Most importantly, we were a force to be reckoned with.

The Lesson

It became clear to everyone that we carry a spirit that cannot be suppressed. It also became clear that African Americans hold keys to truths capable of helping free the world.

The realization that we are inheritors of cultural, moral, and spiritual traditions that have inspired the world for more than 4,000 years was awe-inspiring to everyone in our group. What we carry cannot remain hidden.

The greatest joy of this trip was sharing the experience with my daughters, grandson, and extended family. I delighted in watching their eyes glow as the spirits of ancestors long gone embraced them and welcomed them home, just as they have welcomed me across 70 journeys.

We left Egypt transformed, renewed, empowered, and prepared to face the challenges ahead.

Reflecting on our experiences, the lesson of my 70th journey came full circle: to know ourselves, we must return to the source, honor what we have inherited, carry its power forward, and courageously confront those foolish enough to oppose us.

Thank you for reading,

Anthony Karakh Browder

Founder of IKG