Controversial poster
After a picture of a documentary about “Cleopatra” ignited a wave of anger and ridicule at the same time among Egyptians during the past hours, the authorities entered the crisis line.
The famous queen, who descended from the kings of the Macedonian family, appeared on the promotional poster for the documentary that will be broadcast on Netflix next month, dark-skinned, with thick lips, which prompted many Egyptians to comment sarcastically on the communication sites, from the documentary’s author, who they considered to have no knowledge of history.
Attempt to prove pedigree with false information
In the face of this controversy, the former Minister of Antiquities and archaeologist Zahi Hawass commented on the Netflix series Queen Cleopatra, that what he went through was “unfounded talk,” explaining that Queen Cleopatra was Greek and was not dark-skinned at all.
He added that this step is nothing but an attempt by black-skinned people in America to prove that they are the origin of this civilization, without much evidence of the validity of their claims, saying: “There is no evidence that the Egyptian civilization is of brown origin.”
As evidence for his words, he indicated that the ancient Egyptians depicted themselves differently from others in the drawings on the walls of Egyptian temples, in a statement to a local Egyptian website.
He explained that drawing the scene of the Egyptian king while striking enemies is completely different from the Nubian, African and Asian.
Zahi Hawass
He also pointed out that the black civilization has no connection with the Egyptian civilization, and said: “The Kush ruled Egypt in the 25th dynasty and were not connected to civilization at all, so this talk is unscientific and the whole world is upside down, and I see that this is an insult to the Egyptian civilization.”
He continued that Julius Caesar was white, which is known, and Cleopatra had a white father and a white brother, and she is of Greek origin, but the reason for portraying Cleopatra as a black woman is to prove the attribution of Egyptian civilization to them, which is wrong, referring to the appointment of white-skinned actors in the rest of the main roles. from the series.
“Intentional”
It is noteworthy that the reactions to the official series poster were angry, as some saw it as an intentional move, hinting at a conspiracy behind portraying the heroine of the series with African features.
Cleopatra
They also accused the “African Central Movement” of standing behind this act in order to distort the Egyptian civilization and rob it of its achievements, bearing in mind that historians and archaeologists agree that Cleopatra was of Greek origin, and some studies even confirmed that her skin was white and her eyes were blue.
As for Queen Cleopatra VII, known as Cleopatra, she is the last king of the Macedonian family that ruled Egypt from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, until the occupation of Egypt by Rome in 30 BC.
She is the daughter of Ptolemy XII, who succeeded him as queen in 51 BC, sharing the throne with her brother Ptolemy XIII.
