Cleopatra, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Ancient Egypt, remains a very important figure in the country’s history many centuries after her death, so her figure is almost a matter of state. Proof of this is the controversy that has been unleashed in Egypt because of how it represents her Netflix in a documentary series that will premiere on May 10: as a woman negra, thus betting on inclusion as it has done in other projects but arousing complaints from the most purists.
The second season of queens of africawhich is executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith (Will Smith’s wife), will address the life of Cleopatra, a controversial character in many ways, and also because of her skin color. Of Macedonian origin, she has normally been represented on screen through white actresses.
Netflix already announced last February that it had chosen a black actress, the British Adele James (Casualty, Doctors), as “a nod to the conversation that has been going on for centuries about the race of the ruler”. A debate that seems to continue now, seeing the reactions that the first images of the series have provoked in Egypt.
“cause confusion”
According to BBC News, the Egyptologist and former Minister of Antiquities Zahi Hawass has criticized the choice of Netflix, telling the newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm that “Cleopatra was Greek, which means she was light-skinned, not black.”
“Netflix is trying to cause confusion by spreading false and misleading facts that the origin of the Egyptian civilization is black”, he has denounced, while calling on the Egyptians to oppose the giant of the streaming.
Lawyer Mahmoud al-Semari He has gone even further and has filed a complaint with a prosecutor to take “the necessary legal measures” and block access to Netflix services in Egypt. The lawyer accuses the platform of trying to “promote Afrocentric thought (…) which includes slogans and writings intended to distort and erase Egyptian identity.”
the protagonist of queens of africaAdele James, has defended herself on the networks from criticism: “If you don’t like the castingdo not watch the program,” he wrote.
Just FYI, this kind of behaviour won’t be tolerated on my account. You will be blocked without hesitation!!!
If you don’t like the casting don’t watch the show. Or do & engage in (expert) opinion different to yours. Either way, I’M GASSED and will continue to be! 🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽 pic.twitter.com/zhJjaUkxyc
— Adele James (@Adele_JJames) April 13, 2023
From ‘The Bridgertons’ to the Anne Boleyn series
But Netflix has already demonstrated its commitment to inclusion in projects such as Los Bridgertonwhere black characters from high society appear in England at the beginning of the 19th century, and queen charlotte, which will be released next May. Also available on HBO Max, for example, is the series in which the black actress Jodie Turner-Smith played Anne Boleyn, one of the wives of Henry VIII of England.
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It is not the first time that the representation of the figure of Cleopatra on the screen has generated heated debates. Three years ago, it was criticized that the actress Gal Gadot I could bring it to life biopic, but precisely the opposite: in this case, accusing the character of laundering. Many preferred an Arab or African actress for the role.
Previously, the most famous representations of Cleopatra in the cinema have also been with white actresses: Vivien Leigh in Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), Sophia Loren in Cleopatra’s nights (1954) and, above all, Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra (1963).
