Controversy Erupts Over Netflix's Depiction of Cleopatra as a Black Woman
Netflix's upcoming docuseries "African Queens: Queen Cleopatra" has been accused of "blackwashing" the heritage of Queen Cleopatra VII by casting a Black biracial actress as the titular Greek-Egyptian ruler. Egyptian scholars claim that Cleopatra was born of European descent and not Black. Actress Adele James portrays Cleopatra in the series. Egyptian lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary filed a complaint with the nation’s public prosecutor to request that Netflix be blocked in Egypt due to the promotion of “Afrocentric thinking.” Two petitions to “Cancel Netflix’s ‘Queen Cleopatra'” circulated with more than 88,000 signatures combined.