The Controversy Surrounding Netflix's African Cleopatra.
Netflix's docuseries, African Queens, has sparked controversy among Egyptian historians for casting a biracial actress as Queen Cleopatra, with some claiming it falsifies the country's history. While Cleopatra's ancestry is traced back through the Macedonian dynasty, there is very little known about the identities of her mother and paternal grandparents, leading some to believe she was partly indigenous Egyptian. The show's director defended the casting choice, stating it was intentional to reflect theories about Cleopatra's possible Egyptian ancestry and the multicultural nature of ancient Egypt.
