History and Culture: Perceptions of Egypt (The Narrative Summit 2025)

A few weeks ago, What I Did Next partnered with the 2025 edition of The Narrative Summit which was held at the breathtaking Soma Bay. Today, I’m delighted to share my panel discussion where we explored perceptions of Egypt through a historical and cultural lens, a subject that is close to my heart.

I was joined on the panel by historian Mahmoud Sabit, award-winning historian and broadcaster Bethany Hughes, multidisciplinary artist Louis Barthélemy, creative director Zach Sherif, and the FT’s How to Spend it magazine's Travel Editor, Maria Schollenbarger. 

Watch on YouTube:

These amazing panelists and I and met a few times in the run-up to the summit to discuss the different perspectives and points of view. We knew we were addressing a room full of people who could actually implement concrete ideas and so the panelists made sure to provide real-world success stories and examples that could be implemented in Egypt. Beyond the work itself, we all had such a blast putting this together and on a personal level, I was thrilled to meet these incredible experts, at the top of their game, who were such brilliant communicators.  

From reclaiming our narrative beyond the pharaohs, to celebrating craftsmanship, beauty, and global collaborations, this panel was a powerful reminder that culture is not just heritage, it’s our future.