Netflix is being accused of “blackwashing” the history of Egypt’s famed queen Cleopatra in its new docuseries that stars a black women in the title role. The attacks became so persistent that the streamer turned off comments on social media posts debuting the trailer for the series.
The four-part series Queen Cleopatra, from Executive Producer Jada Pinkett Smith, stars Adele James as Queen Cleopatra, and features the 37-year-old actress sporting a full afro hairstyle in the role, even though it is being sold as a documentary-style, historically-based treatment of the ruler’s tumultuous life.
Due to stream on May 10, Queen Cleopatra will explore the legacy and life of Cleopatra VII, the Greek Queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC. Cleopatra has always been known to be of Macedonian Greek heritage and was a woman of olive skin-tone, with a prominent aquiline nose common among Romans and Greeks.
Despite the long-established facts about Cleopatra’s life, the Pinkett Smith-produced series has race-swapped Cleopatra.
“It’s possible she was an Egyptian” one “expert” says in the trailer for the show, according to the Daily Mail. Meanwhile, another claims that, “I remember my grandmother saying to me ‘I don’t care what they tell you in school, Cleopatra was black.’”
These contentious claims, though, forced Netflix to get ahead of the growing number of attacks on the series by turning off comments on social media sites such as YouTube.
The comment shut off came ahead of a Change.org petition demanding that the show be shelved that had amassed over 85,000 signatures before the pages was removed.
2 Egyptians made a petition against Netflix race-swapping Cleopatra
The petition got removed for “hate speech” after it got 85k signatures pic.twitter.com/he2iJvAqg5
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) April 16, 2023
Many have also flooded social media blasting the fake news and lore that Cleopatra is a black woman.
Writer, historian, and Christian author Kemi Owonibi blasted the series, saying, “For the nth time, the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra was not an Egyptian. She was Greek! Cleopatra VII was white—of Macedonian descent, likewise all the Ptolemy rulers, who lived in Egypt.”
For the nth time, the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra was not an Egyptian. She was Greek! Cleopatra VII was white—of Macedonian descent, likewise all the Ptolemy rulers, who lived in Egypt.
<Netflix is making a show about a “Black” Queen Cleopatra, who was Greek>pic.twitter.com/cJXEywpThX— Kemi Owonibi (@KemiOwonibi) April 14, 2023
Others agreed:
Make a series about Nubian queens like Amanirenas. Make a series about African queens who fought slavery like Nzinga Mbande. You didn’t have to blackwash Cleopatra to fulfill modern African American fantasies and satisfy a narcissistic auteur, this will bring back racism!! https://t.co/U9vF8VGYnr
— Somaya Elkhashab (@somayaelkhashab) April 14, 2023
Identifying Queen Cleopatra as black for fulfilling modern African American fantasies is pure theft of egyptian history and yet an attempt to rewrite history’s greats.
Blackwashing a greek queen proves the obsession with white women and this wouldn’t help stopping racism at all.— Somaya Elkhashab (@somayaelkhashab) April 14, 2023
Cleopatra was a Macedonian Greek descendant, daughter of a Macedonian general who was an associate of Alexander. She spoke Koine Greek and learned the Egyptian language.
But, Jada Pinkett Smith & Netflix have decided to “blackwash” these facts in their ‘documentary’. pic.twitter.com/HIkRTCafpk— Cold957 (@cold957) April 14, 2023
I don’t care if a mermaid is casted as black or white, or Asian (it’s mermaid anyways). But cleopatra??? She’s an INBRED descendant of GREEK invaders of Egypt. This casting is not doing justice for black people. https://t.co/vfTB8Vu3LF
— laoganma puritan (@lapconq) April 14, 2023
For her part, star, Adele James, jumped to her own Twitter account to attack those who ware criticizing the blackwashing of Cleopatra, and telling them if they don’t like the idea, they should just not watch the show. She also said she would block all detractors.
Just FYI, this kind of behaviour won’t be tolerated on my account. 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! 🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽 pic.twitter.com/zhJjaUkxyc
— Adele James (@Adele_JJames) April 13, 2023
But several Muslim commenters scolded the actress for her cultural appropriation of their heritage.
Adele: our opposition as Egyptians is not against you personally, though I’m sure it hasn’t been easy for you.
We are objecting to the falsification of our history for the sake of a political battle and agenda that doesn’t really involve us.
Truth matters. History matters.
— Sherif Hanna (@sherifhanna) April 15, 2023
No one mean any hate or harm to you personally, people of that heritage mostly doesn’t agree with you representing their history that they are proud of, your tone is totally wrong in responding to them, I highly advice you follow a tone of reason and calm and seeking Egyptian…
— Ahmed ElMowalad (@AhmedAlMowalad) April 16, 2023
This is not the first time that an historical figure has been reimagined as a black person despite the fact that they were most assuredly not. In 2021, a British drama shown on AMC cast black actress Jodie Turner-Smith as 16th century English queen and second bride of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn.
Boleyn was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, later Earl of Wiltshire and Earl of Ormond, and his wife, Elizabeth Howard, who was the daughter of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, and was born between 1501 and 1507 in Norfolk, England. She could not possibly have been black.
The series was a ratings flop for BBC Channel 5 in the UK, and fared no better on AMC in the U.S.
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