4 months ago
A government-owned Egyptian broadcaster has responded to contention complete nan casting of a Black character to play Cleopatra successful nan Netflix docudrama bid “African Queens,” which streams from May 10, by announcing accumulation of its ain big-budget Cleopatra doc.
The truth that Britain’s Adele James, who is of mixed heritage, plays nan first-century Egyptian ruler arsenic a queen pinch African roots successful nan Netflix original produced by Jada Pinkett Smith has been sparking an uproar successful Egypt. Ever since nan trailer dropped past period section academics and others are claiming that Cleopatra, who was calved successful nan Egyptian metropolis of Alexandria successful 69 BC and belonged to a Greek-speaking dynasty, was of European descent and not Black.
In consequence to what they declare is Netflix’s falsification of Egypt’s history, nan Al Wathaeqya transmission – which is simply a subsidiary of Egypt’s state-affiliated United Media Services – has announced commencement of accumulation connected a high-end doc astir nan existent communicative of Queen Cleopatra, which it claims successful a connection is based connected nan “utmost levels” of investigation and accuracy.
Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, nan authorities entity successful complaint of heritage, has complained connected Twitter that “Statues of Queen Cleopatra corroborate that she had Hellenistic (Greek) features, distinguished by ray skin, a drawn-out chemoreceptor and bladed lips.”
Popular comedian Bassem Youssef successful a caller TV question and reply pinch British journalist Piers Morgan accused Netflix of trying to “take complete our Egyptian culture.” And an Egyptian lawyer has revenge a title demanding that ineligible measures are taken to artifact Netflix outright successful Egypt, to forestall nan show from airing, though that has not happened. astatine slightest not yet.
“Why do immoderate group request Cleopatra to beryllium white?” nan show’s director, Tina Gharavi, wrote successful an op-ed portion defending nan casting successful Variety online past month. “Perhaps it’s not conscionable that I’ve directed a bid that portrays Cleopatra arsenic Black, but that I person asked Egyptians to spot themselves arsenic Africans, and they are furious astatine maine for that.”
Netflix has many times declined to comment.
