Keke Palmer Explains Her Controversial ‘Queen Of Kush’ Tattoo

By Deepa Lakshmin 

 'We very rarely ever learn about female rulers'

School may be out for the summer, but you’re not done learning just yet. Keke Palmer put on her teacher hat last weekend to explain the history behind her latest ink, a cluster of pyramids with the words “Queen of

Kush,” designed at Three Kings Tattoo in Brooklyn. It’s her ninth tat, and she joked on Twitter that she’s “addicted” to them. Others include a sunflower on her ribcage, interlocking hearts behind her ear, and an anchor on her ankle.
                                   
Fans kept asking her about the meaning behind this new tat, so the Scream Queens star shared a lengthy explanation on Instagram.

“The Kingdom of Kush or Kush was an ancient African Nubian kingdom situated on the confluences of the Blue Nile, White Nile and River Atbara,” she began, quoting Wikipedia. This land is part of modern-day Sudan.

“What I love most is it’s [sic] history’s [sic] of female rulers!!” Palmer continued. “In school, we very rarely ever learn about female rules [sic] and never about African rulers. Amanirenas was one of the most famous Queens of Kush … because of her role leading Kushite armies against the Romans from in [sic] a war that lasted five years 😱. She was able to communicate a peace treaty that favoured the Kushites, granting them land and an exemption from future taxation. She has been described as brave, with one eye.”

This educational caption got both praise and backlash, because nothing is safe from criticism on the internet. Commenters thanked Palmer for teaching them something new, while others pointed out inconsistencies in her initial, unedited post or made uninformed references to marijuana.