Cleopatra, the legendary ruler of Ancient Egypt, is depicted as a black person in an upcoming Netflix miniseries; fact that has aroused strong controversy and even angry comments on social networks.
The production in question is entitled queen cleopatra, a four-episode docudrama that, in addition to dramatizing biographical passages of the incumbent monarch, gathers the opinion of various experts on her life, family, and legacy. However, the sheer decision to cast an actress of color for the leading role has already caused a stir on the internet, and particularly in Egypt, since the official trailer was released last week.
According VarietyIn recent days, scholars in Egypt have argued that Cleopatra (born in 69 BC) belonged to a European dynasty, made up specifically of Greeks. Consequently, “she was light-skinned and not black,” in the words of renowned Egyptologist Zahi Hawass.
However, it should be noted that although today it seems irrefutable that the monarch did indeed have Macedonian Greek roots thanks to her father (Ptolemy XII), to date the ethnic origins of her mother are debated. One theory is that she came from Africa, which would justify Cleopatra being depicted as a person of color.
Tina Gharavi, director of queen cleopatrapublished this Friday a text in Variety where he responds to his critics. There she maintained, based on her research, that the family of the mythical ruler had been living in Egypt for 300 years before she was born. Thus, “Cleopatra was eight generations away from these Ptolemaic ancestors, so it is unlikely that she was white,” she said.
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Gharavi also confessed to being the victim of a hate campaign on social media while filming the docuseries. “Some Egyptians accused me of ‘black washing’ and ‘stealing’ their history”he revealed in his article. However, the director was well aware of the “political nature” of the project and the importance of erecting a response to the previous representations of Cleopatra in film and television that, in her opinion, have whitewashed her excessively.
«Was Cleopatra black? We don’t know for sure, but we can be sure she wasn’t white like Elizabeth Taylor.“, wrote. “We need to have a conversation with ourselves about our colorism and the internalized white supremacy that Hollywood has indoctrinated us with«.
On the other hand, the British actress Adele James, who plays Cleopatra in the upcoming Netflix miniseries, has also been targeted by hate messages. A few days ago, via Twitter, James openly spoke out against those who attack her and invited them to simply not watch the show if they were not happy with her signing.
“FYI, this type of behavior will not be tolerated on my account. They will be blocked without hesitation! », He read in his tweet last week. «If you don’t like the casting, don’t watch the show. Or do it and get an (expert) opinion different from yours«.
queen cleopatra It will hit the Netflix catalog on May 10, 2023.
Antonio G. Spindola I have very bad memory. Out of solidarity with my memories, I choose to lose myself too. Preferably in a movie theater.