Netflix's new docu-series 'Cleopatra' faces backlash in Egypt over skin colour

Egypt is in turmoil after watching a Netflix documentary that portrays Queen Cleopatra as black. The title role in "Queen Cleopatra" is played by mixed-race British actress Adele James. The Cleopatra teaser trailer, which debuted last week, has generated a lot of discussion about how the queen is portrayed. Because Cleopatra had a light complexion rather than a dark one and was of Macedonian-Greek descent.

Former antiquities minister and Egyptologist Zahi Hawass declares, "This is completely fake." An Egyptian lawyer reportedly filed a case to try and stop the show from airing in Egypt, claiming the movie violates media rules and seeks to "erase the Egyptian identity" due to the heated outcry.

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Who was Cleopatra? Cleopatra was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in the year 69 BC. She continued her father Ptolemy XII's legacy by ruling till her demise. The Romans then took control of Egypt. Cleopatra VII, commonly called "Cleopatra," was the last of the Ptolemies, a line of kings that ruled over ancient Egypt for about 300 years. Cleopatra ruled an empire that comprised Cyprus, Egypt and other Middle Eastern nations, as well as some of present-day Libya.

Regarding the uproar, Netflix has not commented. James responded to the haters on social media by saying, "If you don't like the casting, don't watch the show." The show's executive producer, American actress Jada Pinkett Smith, was quoted as saying to a media outlet: "We don't often get to 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 know those stories because there are tons of them!"

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