Why some Egyptians are fuming over Netflix's Black Cleopatra
CBSN
Cairo — As soon as Netflix dropped the trailer for its upcoming "docudrama" about ancient Egypt's Queen Cleopatra, drama started bubbling up online. The preview quickly drew criticism. Some Egyptians complained that the feature was appropriating their culture and rewriting their history, primarily because Cleopatra is portrayed by a Black woman in the film.
The movie, produced by Jada Pinkett Smith and starring biracial British actor Adele James as Queen Cleopatra, is set for release on May 10. It is the second part of a Netflix "docuseries" on African queens, focused on female rulers from the African continent.
In the latest official response to the controversy, Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities issued a long statement at the end of April stressing that "Queen Cleopatra had light skin and Hellenistic (Greek) features."
