Netflix casting Cleopatra as Black ruler with African heritage sparks outrage in Egypt
A decision to depict Cleopatra as a ruler with African heritage in an upcoming docudrama on Netflix has sparked outrage in Egypt.
A lawyer has filed a complaint against African Queens: Queen Cleopatra, accusing the production of violating media laws.Fellow Egpytians accuse the show of spreading "false information that the origin of Egyptian civilization is Black."
Distinguished archaeologist and former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass insisted to the al-Masry al-Youm newspaper: "Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was light-skinned, not Black... This (discussion) has absolutely no basis in truth.”
Adele James, a mixed race actor playing the Ptolemaic Queen, posted screenshots of abusive messages she had received from those questioning the decision.
"If you don’t like the casting, don’t watch the show," she wrote.
Meanwhile, executive producer on the series and wife of Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, was quoted on Netflix’s promotional website Tudum in February saying: “We don’t often get to see or hear stories about Black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community to be able to know those stories because there are tons of them!"
The promotion also mentions that the "creative choice to cast a biracial actor to play Cleopatra is a nod to the centuries-long conversation about the ruler’s race."
Egyptians, however, have condemned the depiction, describing it as an attempt to "erase the Egyptian identity".
The lawyer demanding action wants to prevent the show, scheduled to land on screens May 10, from airing in Egypt.
Who was Cleopatra?
Cleopatra was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria and eventually succeeded her father, Ptolemy XII.
She ruled Egypt from 51 BCE until her death in 30 BCE and had relationships with Romans Mark Antony and Julius Caesar.
Her mother's heritage, however, remains unknown and historians have speculated Cleopatra's maternal lineage could be traced to Africa.
“Given that Cleopatra represents herself as an Egyptian, it seems strange to insist on depicting her as wholly European," said Sally Ann Ashton, an expert interviewed in the Netflix series.
“Cleopatra ruled in Egypt long before the Arab settlement in North Africa."
"If the maternal side of her family were indigenous women, they would’ve been African, and this should be reflected in contemporary representations of Cleopatra.”
But Mr Hawass continued: "Netflix is trying to create confusion."
The streaming giant has not yet released an official statement responding to the row.
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