{"id":198543,"date":"2023-05-18T15:24:45","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T12:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=198543"},"modified":"2023-05-18T15:24:46","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T12:24:46","slug":"netflixs-queen-cleopatra-sparks-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabtelegraph.com\/?p=198543","title":{"rendered":"Netflix\u2019s “Queen Cleopatra” Sparks Controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Salma Heram \/ Arab America Contributing Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 12, 2023, Netflix released a trailer for their upcoming documentary series Queen Cleopatra<\/em>. This season comes as the second in a new documentary series by Jada Pinkett Smith depicting African Queens<\/em>. However, upon its release, the trailer sparked much controversy, particularly between Egyptians and African Americans. In fact, Egypt has recently announced its own documentary on Cleopatra in retaliation, as well as a potential lawsuit against Netflix. Follow along as we detail the arguments surrounding the film, the motivations behind it, the perspective of Egyptians, and the controversy on the depiction of Cleopatra. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Adele James as Cleopatra in Netflix\u2019s Queen Cleopatra \/\u00a0YouTube<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Controversy Surrounding Queen Cleopatria\u2019s Race<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Upon watching the trailer, it is clear to the viewer that Queen Cleopatra and the Egyptians surrounding her are depicted by African American actors. The actress playing the role of Cleopatra, Adele James, is herself of mixed-race descent, a choice Netflix<\/a> says \u201cis a nod to the centuries-long conversation about the ruler\u2019s race\u201d. This depiction is not accidental; in fact, in the trailer<\/a>, an Egyptian historian, Dr. Islam Issa, states that he imagines Cleopatra to have \u201ccurly hair like me and a similar skin color,\u201d followed immediately by a Black historian, Dr. Shelley Haley, asserts that she recalls her grandmother telling her as a child, \u201cI don\u2019t care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was Black.\u201d This juxtaposition of these two perspectives is a telling sign of the series creators\u2019 biased perspective, one that favors the opinion of Cleopatra and other Egyptians as Black. This opinion and depiction in the film caused an uproar on both social media and in conversation, particularly from Egyptians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Shelley Haley in the trailer of Netflix\u2019s Queen Cleopatra \/\u00a0YouTube<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Egyptian Perspective<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The main frustration from Egyptians is the portrayal of Queen Cleopatra and other Egyptians by Black actors, as well as the assertion of claims of her Black identity in both the trailer and by the film\u2019s director. Furthermore, frustration arises from the fact that the series is being marketed and labeled as a documentary, or a docudrama. Most Egyptians feel that if this was a work of fiction, the issue with Cleopatra\u2019s depiction would be less serious, but because this show is being established as a documentary, a higher level of historical accuracy is expected, and with it, stricter criticism. The issue is not so much whether Cleopatra should be depicted as Black or White, but rather the idea that Egyptians should be able to tell their own history, and that because this is a documentary, careful historical sensitivity is needed to tell an accurate story. As such, failure to do so has been seen by many as an attempt at further systematic erasure of the Egyptian identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Evidence of Cleopatra\u2019s Appearance \/ Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Several Egyptian experts have come out to speak on the facts relating to Queen Cleopatra\u2019s appearance, including Dr. Zahi Hawass, a world-renowned Egyptologist and former Minister of Antiquities of Egypt. In a news column<\/a>, Dr. Hawass asserts that Queen Cleopatra was not Black, citing several pieces of evidence, including statues of her made from alabaster depicting her Hellenistic features and pale skin that he excavated from her tomb near Alexandria, Egypt. The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities further emphasized<\/a> this fact, providing images of several artifacts as evidence. The Ministry went on to say that it is clear through scientific evidence, including DNA testing, that Cleopatra did not have sub-Saharan African ancestry, and therefore would not be Black as we define the term today. This is further evidenced by her features, as seen in both states and coins depicting her appearance, which do not show any evidence of sub-Saharan African features. As such, any true experts in Ancient Egyptian history can easily and confidently affirm that Cleopatra had no Black ancestry, and therefore the depiction of her in Netflix\u2019s show is completely false and falsifies the claim of it being a \u201cdocudrama.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Evidence of Cleopatra\u2019s Appearance<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Many Egyptians, like Dr. Hawass and well-known comedian Bassem Youssef, point to the Afrocentric movement as possibly to blame for this clear historical fallacy being popularized by Netflix. In an interview with Piers Morgan, Youssef details that this new show is part of \u201ccontinuous cultural appropriation and falsification of history by the so-called Afrocentric movement.\u201d Youssef went on to say that the Afrocentric movement was originally started in the last century with good intentions, seeking to teach African-Americans about their rich history in West Africa, citing the great empires of Benin, Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. However, in recent years this ideology has expanded to include Egypt, and unrightfully so, thereby calling modern-day Egyptians invaders and intruders in their own country. Dr. Hawass seems to agree with Youssef, speculating that the Netflix series may be seeking to capitalize and take commercial advantage of this contention within the African-American community and wider African diaspora.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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