Experts Praise Zahi Hawass’ Cleopatra Documentary Amidst ‘Queen Cleopatra’ Series Crisis

This coincided with calls in Egypt to boycott the “Queen Cleopatra” series, which the “Netflix” platform began showing, and depicts the queen descending from a Macedonian family in black, that is, as if she came from sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Magdi Shaker, chief archaeologist at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, told Sky News Arabia that Cleopatra’s skin color was “totally disgraced from the truth”, referring to the presence of many works that present light-colored facial features, far from the features of sub-Saharan Africa presented in the series. .

For his part, the art critic Ahmed El-Messiri warned of the danger of leaving the presentation of history to cinema and drama, according to the whims of the artwork makers.

Al-Messiri explained in an interview with “Sky News Arabia” that “cinema is the most influential and widespread source and the ability to create new mental images that last for a long time, although research, studies and books are the main scientific source for presenting facts.”

He added, “We have to pay attention to the quality of historical artwork, along with books and research. Whoever is unable to tell his history and story will be told by others, but with his own style, prejudices, and vision.”

Cleopatra series crisis

• “Netflix” announced the presentation of the series “Queen Cleopatra” with skin and features that differ from what was common about it in previous antiquities and works of art, and responded to the wave of objection by saying that Egypt was inhabited by many people of African descent, including Cleopatra, according to the documents that fell into the hands of the series’ producers, according to what she said. .
• Egyptians and Egyptologists consider that this matter is part of the attempts of foreign platforms to present the Egyptians and the rulers who passed through Egypt in ancient history, that they were black-skinned, and that the Egyptian civilization is a civilization made by black Africans, and not its known inhabitants who prevail in the color of the countries of the Mediterranean basin.
• Archaeologically and historically, it is known that Cleopatra VII is the last of the Ptolemaic Macedonian family that ruled Egypt at the time of the Macedonian-Greek occupation of Egypt. It was inherited until its fall in 30 BC.
• The Macedonian figure of Cleopatra embodies some of the statues and heads in the Vatican Museum and the Berlin Museum. It was also painted on the facade of the Hathor Temple in Luxor accompanied by her son Caesarion, and the coins that were found inside the “Taposiris Magna” temple in Alexandria did not include any black features or features.
• The series aroused the ire and suspicion of the Egyptian public about the intentions of the work, as the producer of the work is Jada Pinkett Smith, the wife of the famous actor Will Smith, and she is one of the black Africans, and the advocates of the ideas of “Africanism” that claim that the origin and makers of all famous civilizations are black Africans.