Netflix accused of 'blackwashing' Egyptian Queen Cleopatra in new docu-series
Popular streaming service Netflix has been accused of "blackwashing" history in its upcoming docu-series on Queen Cleopatra VII, featuring a black British actress Adele James as the lead.
Egyptian experts are taking action by banning the streaming platform from the country, reports New York Post.
African Queens: Queen Cleopatra, produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, wife of popular Hollywood actor Will Smith, is about the Macedonian-Greek ruler of Egypt.
The producer said she wanted to tell the story because "we don't often get to see or hear stories about black queens."
After the release of the trailer last week, it created outrage among many Egyptian experts regarding the proper representation of Cleopatra.
"Cleopatra was Greek, meaning that she was light-skinned, not black," a BBC report quoted archaeologist Al-Masry al-Youm as saying on Wednesday (April 19).
According to another report by Daily Mail, Egyptologist Zahi Hawass accused Netflix of "trying to provoke confusion by spreading false and deceptive facts that the origin of the Egyptian civilization is black."
The docu-series is set to release on Netflix on 10 May 2023. The first season focused on Njinga, Queen of Ndongo and Matamba while the second season focused on Ptolemaic Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII.