Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Netflix, Entertainment, Film and TV
Rachel Lang
A furious Egyptian attorney has filed a lawsuit against Netflix after the streaming service produced a new documentary depicting Cleopatra as a Black woman.
In the reenactment scenes of the trailer for Queen Cleopatra the show has depicted her as being Black.
The move has led many people on social media to slam Netflix for 'Blackwashing' the historical figure.
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According to the Egypt Independent, lawyer Mahmoud al-Semary filed a case with the Public Prosecutor to see Netflix shut down in his country in the wake of the trailer release of Queen Cleopatra.
He has demanded serious legal action be taken against the streaming service for making the documentary and accused Netflix of participating in 'this crime'.
The attorney has also called for a thorough investigation into the making of the documentary and called for Netflix to be banned in Egypt as a consequence of the 'Blackwashing'.
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The complaint, submitted to Egypt's the Department of Public Prosecution, against Netflix claims the documentary does not conform to 'Islamic and societal values and principles, especially Egyptian ones'.
"In order to preserve the Egyptian national and cultural identity among Egyptians all over the world there must be pride in the makings of such work," the legal filing stated.
It also accused the documentary filmmakers and Netflix of being complicit in a 'forgery'.
Former Egyptian Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass also accused Netflix of 'falsifying facts' by depicting Cleopatra as a Black woman.
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"This is completely fake. Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was blonde, not Black," he said, as per the Egypt Independent.
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Cleopatra has been recorded to have originated from Macedonian Greek heritage.
Common historical records show that her Macedonian Greek family, the Ptolemaic dynasty, had ruled over the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt for more than three centuries.
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"Despite not being ethnically Egyptian, Cleopatra embraced many of her country’s ancient customs and was the first member of the Ptolemaic line to learn the Egyptian language," History.com says.
Netflix's trailer has already amassed more than 1.9 million views on YouTube, with comments now turned off after viewers slammed the upcoming documentary.
Starring the likes of Adele James, Craig Russell and Jada Pinkett Smith, who also acted as executive producer, the official Netflix synopsis informs audiences that the documentary will explore 'the lives of prominent and iconic African Queens'.
"This season will feature Cleopatra, the world’s most famous, powerful, and misunderstood woman," the synopsis explains.