Egypt Calls to Block Netflix Over Black Cleopatra Casting
- Publish date: Wednesday، 17 May 2023
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The recent premiere of a Netflix docuseries featuring a mixed-race actress portraying Cleopatra has sparked outrage in Egypt, where the Ptolemaic queen, who ruled during late antiquity, holds historical significance.
The casting of British actress Adele James in the role of Cleopatra has generated accusations of "blackwashing" Egyptian history, leading to demands from politicians and lawyers to take legal action against or block the streaming service involved.
Egyptologist Zahi Hawass, a former minister of antiquities, expressed his belief that the documentary is entirely fabricated. Comedian Bassem Youssef also criticized the production, stating that it amounted the distortion and appropriation of Egyptian culture. In an interview with The National, Youssef highlighted that the casting choice reflects a dangerous narrative promoted by the Afrocentric movement, which critics say projects grievances over the slave trade and colonisers on to modern Egyptians.
“This is a very sensitive topic, because whenever the conversation goes into the black and white area, people assume it's about racism,” he said. “But then, with the repetition of the continuous portrayal of Egyptians as sub-Saharan black Africans, it takes on an underlying tone of them claiming the culture and calling us colonisers.”