The next docudrama of Netflix on Reina Cleopatra it has not been well received by an Egyptian man. Mahmoud al-Semary, a lawyer in the North African nation, filed a lawsuit with Egypt’s public prosecutor against the streaming giant for its depiction of the pharaoh.
“Most of what the platform shows Netflix it does not conform to Islamic and social values and principles, especially Egyptian ones,” the complaint read, according to Egypt Independent. The trailer, according to him, contradicts the Egyptian story.
Al-Semary believes that the documentary promotes Afrocentrism and inaccurately portrays the race of Cleopatra. “Netflix is trying to cause confusion by spreading false and misleading facts that the origin of Egyptian civilization is black,” he said, according to the BBC. The program, it continued, “will promote Afrocentric thought… which includes slogans and writings intended to distort and erase Egyptian identity.”
“In order to preserve the Egyptian national and cultural identity among Egyptians around the world, there must be pride in doing such work,” he added.
the race of Cleopatra it has been a controversial topic in historical studies for centuries. Although he was born in Alexandria, Egypt, he was descended from the line of rulers of Ptolemy, whose history was set in modern Greece. The Ptolemaic Kingdom was founded in 305 BC after Alexander the Great’s conquest of Persian-controlled Egypt.
Perhaps the most infamous screen portrayal of the pharaoh queen was Elizabeth Taylor in heavy makeup and gold beads in “Cleopatra” from 1963. In the new series of Netflix, the former monarch will be played by Adele James, a mixed-race British actress. It was James’ appearance in the show’s promotional material that drew outrage from al-Semary.
Jada Pinkett Smith is executive producer and narrator of “African Queens“, which will follow the story of Cleopatra in its upcoming second season. Like its first season, it will combine dramatic re-enactments of historical events with interviews discussing those events. when he talked to Netflix about the next season of the show, he expressed his desire to show a Cleopatra that doesn’t look like Elizabeth Taylor, to say the least.
“We don’t often see or hear stories about black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community, to be able to hear about those stories because, there are tons of them!” said the “Red Table Talk” host. “The sad thing is that we don’t have easy access to these historical women who were so powerful and were the support of African nations.”
Season 2 of “African Queens” will be released on May 10.
Via: Revolt
