Explained: How Netflix has landed in trouble for showing historical figure Cleopatra as black African in new documentary

Netflix seems to have landed in trouble for their new documentary African Queens: Queen Cleopatra. And it has to do something with the portrayal of the historic figure Cleopatra. What is the matter exactly? Viewers aren’t really pleased with the idea of Cleopatra being presented a black woman. One archeologist has weighed on the fact that Cleopatra was not black but light-skinned. A lawyer too has filed a complaint against the makers, alleging this is nothing but an attempt to ‘erase the Egyptian identity.’ He further states that the show is misleading in terms of media laws and said Netflix is trying to ‘promote the Afrocentric thinking… which includes slogans and writings aimed at distorting and erasing the Egyptian identity.’ Celluloid’s Cleopatra’s statement  The actress playing the figure has said in a statement- “If you don’t like the casting, don’t watch the show." The producer of the Netflix production also said that “her heritage is highly debated.” An Egyptologist reacts  Zahi Hawass, an Egyptologist, talking about the show, told the al-Masry al-Youm newspaper, “This is completely fake. Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was light-skinned, not black. Netflix is trying to provoke confusion by spreading false and deceptive facts that the origin of the Egyptian civilisation is black.” About Cleopatra As per the site Live Science, Cleopatra VII, often simply called “Cleopatra,” was the last of a series of rulers called the Ptolemies who ruled ancient Egypt for nearly 300 years. Cleopatra ruled an empire that included Egypt, Cyprus, part of modern-day Libya and other territories in the Middle East. Modern-day depictions of Cleopatra VII tend to show her as a woman of great physical beauty and seductive skills — indeed, her romantic involvements with  Julius Caesar and Mark Antony have been immortalized in art, music and literature for centuries. However, a number of ancient records, and historical research, tell a different story. These records describe Cleopatra as an intelligent, multilingual, female pharaoh who affirmed her right to rule Egypt and other territories.

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