The Egyptian government has accused Netflix of misrepresenting history by casting a Black woman to play Cleopatra, its most famous historical figure, in an upcoming drama-documentary 'Queen Cleopatra'.
The four-part series, which is set to be released on May 10, features Adele James - an actor of mixed heritage - in the lead role. This move has enraged Egyptian experts who insist that the pharaonic leader had "white skin and Hellenistic characteristics". According to The Guardian, the Egyptian government issued a lengthy statement that included opinions from experts that, it said, agree on Cleopatra's skin colour and facial features.
"The appearance of the heroine in this body is a falsification of Egyptian history and a blatant historical misconception, especially that the film is classified as a documentary and not a drama," the statement read.
Mostafa Waziri, head of the Supreme Antiquities Council, further said that there was nothing racist in this view as it is motivated by "defending the history of Queen Cleopatra, an important part of the history of Egypt in antiquity".
"Archaeologists and anthropologists should have been referred to when making such kind of documentary and historical films that will remain a witness on civilizations and history of nations," Mr Waziri added, noting that there are many Queen Cleopatra's artefacts and depictions on coins that confirm its true shape and features, which show Queen Cleopatra's Hellenic (Greek) features, in terms of light complexion, drawn nose, and fluffy lips.
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The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities slammed Netflix's classification of the upcoming productions as a documentary, saying that it "requires those in charge of its production to investigate the accuracy and rely on historical and scientific facts". They argue that the series should instead be reclassified as a drama.
Meanwhile, Netflix, earlier this week, stated that Adele James' ethnicity is not the focus of the series. "We did intentionally decide to depict her of mixed ethnicity to reflect theories about Cleopatra's possible Egyptian ancestry and the multicultural nature of ancient Egypt, the streaming service giant said, as per the outlet.
Cleopatra was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 BC and became the last queen of a Greek-speaking dynasty founded by Alexander the Great's Macedonian general Ptolemy. She succeeded her father Ptolemy XII in 51 BC and ruled until her death in 30 BC. Afterwards, Egypt fell under Roman domination.
