Egypt furious over Netflix’s ‘blackwashing’ of Cleopatra

An upcoming docudrama that depicts Cleopatra as black has sparked fury in Egypt and the nation wants the series banned.

Egyptian experts have criticised Netflix for “blackwashing” its upcoming docu-series about Queen Cleopatra VII.

Now, they’re taking action to see that the show never airs — by banning the streaming giant from the country completely.

“African Queens: Queen Cleopatra” is narrated and executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, 51, and stars Adele James, 27, who is bi-racial, as the legendary queen of Egypt, whose specific race has long been the subject of historical dispute, the New York Post reports.

Adele James, 27, portrays Queen Cleopatra VII in the series. Picture: Netflix

Pinkett Smith previously explained that she wanted to be involved in the project because she “really wanted to represent Black women.”

But Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, who previously served as the nation’s antiquities minister, is not happy with the “completely fake” portrayal of the famous queen, who he claims was wholly Greek — and “not black.” He’s accused Netflix of “trying to provoke confusion by spreading false and deceptive facts that the origin of the Egyptian civilisation is black.”

“Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was light-skinned, not black,” the archaeologist told the Al-Masry al-Youm newspaper, per a BBC report on Wednesday.

US actor Will Smith and his wife actress Jada Pinkett Smith. Picture: AFP

In addition, lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary filed a complaint Sunday with the country’s public prosecutor to demand that Netflix be blocked in Egypt, claiming they are trying to “promote the Afrocentric thinking … which includes slogans and writings aimed at distorting and erasing the Egyptian identity.”

A petition titled “Cancel Netflix’s ‘Queen Cleopatra’” has more than 3,200 signatures on Change.org. Another petition for the cause that allegedly garnered 85,000 signatures was meanwhile removed from Change.org.

Craig Russell plays Mark Anthony. Picture: Netflix

The official trailer, which was released last week, stirred up so much controversy that its YouTube comments have been turned off. The clip has over 2 million views.

We know that Cleopatra was born in Alexandria in 69 B.C., and was the last ruler of a Macedonian Greek dynasty that began with Alexander the Great’s general Ptolemy. And while the identity of Cleopatra’s mother is not known, it’s been speculated that she, as well as other female ancestors, may have been indigenous to Africa.

The two-minute official trailer was uploaded on April 12 and has over 2 million views — but comments have been disabled. Picture: Netflix

Netflix previously addressed Cleopatra’s debatable racial background head-on, reminding viewers that in her time, “Egypt’s population was multicultural and multiracial.”

“The creative choice to cast a bi-racial actor to play Cleopatra is a nod to the centuries-long conversation about the ruler’s race,” explained a news release on the platform’s “Tudum” site.

For their part, Netflix consulted its own Egyptologist, Sally-Ann Ashton, in preparation for the series. She called it “strange” to depict Cleopatra as wholly European.

Netflix issued a statement saying that Egypt’s population was multicultural and multiracial. Picture: Netflix

“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,” Ms Ashton stated.

Following backlash prompted by the trailer, James addressed the hateful comments she received on social media, including one that claimed: “Cleopatra was a queen, not a slave.” She told fans to skip the show if don’t approve of her as the lead.

“Just FYI, this kind of behaviour won’t be tolerated on my account,” she said of the nasty screenshots. “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!”

The New York Post has requested further comment from representatives for Netflix, Ms Pinkett Smith and Ms James.

“Queen Cleopatra” premieres on Netflix on May 10.

This story was published by the New York Post and reproduced with permission

Originally published as Egypt furious over Netflix’s ‘blackwashing’ of Cleopatra