Picture: Netflix
Netflix has as soon as once more discovered itself in scorching water, because of the current controversy surrounding Jada Pinkett Smith’s upcoming historic docu-drama about probably the most well-known historic individuals in Egypt’s historical past, Cleopatra.
For context, on April twelfth, 2023 Netflix launched a trailer for its upcoming historic docu-drama, Queen Cleopatra. Without attempting to state the plain, the sequence is centered across the life and reign of Queen Cleopatra, certainly one of Egypt’s most romanticized and well-known monarchs. However, the sequence has discovered itself on the heart of controversy, because of the present’s depiction of Queen Cleopatra as being black. This has upset many individuals on-line, which has led to many accusing Netflix of “blackwashing” a historic icon.
Why is that this controversial?
According to widespread historic data, Cleopatra was of Macedonian Greek heritage.
Cleopatra was the final ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, which had been dominated by her ancestors for almost three centuries when the Macedonian Greek common and Alexander the Great’s companion Ptolemy I Soter based the Kingdom in 305 bc.
It reportedly took a century into the reign of the Ptolemaic dynasty, however it turned notorious for sibling marriages and inbreeding, which was additionally widespread in earlier Egyptian dynasties. According to historic data, almost all marriages outdoors of marrying siblings or cousins have been with Greek and Persian royalty.
When you issue within the many generations of inbreeding that got here earlier than Cleopatra’s beginning, the chance of her being what we’d outline within the modern-day as “black” is extraordinarily slim.
The Online Response
The on-line criticism of the docu-drama has been overwhelming.
Much of the ire has been directed at Netflix, as many have accused the platform of not precisely portraying historical past. Within a matter of hours, a petition was raised on Change.Org accusing Netflix of falsifying historical past. it was signed by 85,000 from all over the world earlier than it was pulled from the platform.
Some of essentially the most vocal in opposition to the sequence are of Greek and Egyptian heritage with many wishing to “preserve” the historical past of Cleopatra. As probably the most well-known historic figures of each cultures, the argument is being made that Cleopatra needs to be portrayed “accurately” as a approach of respecting their tradition and heritage.
However, there have additionally been some extraordinarily damaging viewpoints being raised that transcend questioning historic accuracy in a tv present and land instantly within the racist class.
This isn’t the primary time Netflix has been accused of historic inaccuracies, we noticed controversy within the Vikings Valhalla sequence, and the controversy across the ethnicity of King Yaroslav the Wise. And, we additionally noticed an identical debate surrounding blackwashing within the film The Woman King.
Why is the controversy a minefield?
From a historic standpoint, it’s straightforward to see why there are lots of in favor of fully traditionally correct depictions of historic figures, or of a selected time interval. While additionally it is straightforward to grasp that from an leisure viewpoint, that’s what’s finest for a historic depiction could not really be essentially the most entertaining possibility for an viewers. However, traces are blurred when race and ethnicity are a part of the equation. Contradicting your self and coming throughout as a hypocrite, or worse a bigot, may be very straightforward whereas debating these matters.
What are your ideas on the Queen Cleopatra sequence? Let us know within the feedback beneath!