Posted on 04/18/2023 3:07:19 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Dr. Zahi Hawass, one of the most famous Egyptologists and the former Egyptian Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs, has criticized Netflix for its controversial decision to cast Cleopatra with a black actress in an upcoming docuseries.
The new Netflix series, dubbed “Queen Cleopatra”, which is produced and narrated by the American actress Jada Pinkett Smith, has sparked fierce debate over the misrepresentation of history and representation in TV and media.
Hawass, who is Egypt’s most recognizable archaeologist, decried the decision by Netflix to portray Cleopatra as being of black descent, pointing out that the historical figure “was Greek”.
Zahi Hawass criticizes portrayal of Cleopatra by Netflix
“I announced these days to the media that Cleopatra was not black,” Zahi posted on his Facebook account in response to the controversy surrounding the new Netflix series.
“The film that is coming on Netflix is not accurate and gives wrong information on ancient Egypt,” the famous Egyptologist continued.
Grecian Delight supports Greece
“Cleopatra was Greek and she was similar to the queens and princesses of Macedonia,” wrote Zahi, alluding to the fact that Cleopatra was a member of the Ptolemaic Dynasty who ruled over Egypt between 305 BC and 30 BC.
The Ptolemaic Dynasty was founded by Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek who served Alexander the Great as a general, bodyguard, and historian. When Alexander died and his empire was split between his squabbling generals, Ptolemy established his own kingdom in Egypt.
Misrepresentation of Egyptian history
The Netflix series appears to have angered many Egyptians, as well as Greeks and people with a general interest in history who expressed their disappointment online.
A petition started by two Egyptians calling on Netflix to cancel their upcoming Cleopatra documentary garnered well over 60,000 signatures until it was removed by Change.org for “violating community guidelines”.
In his Facebook Zahi further discussed the historicity of the Netflix documentary vis-a-vis ancient Egypt even beyond the period of Ptolemaic rule.
“If we look at the scenes on the Egyptian temples, we can see that the pharaohs are depicted and in front of them were Nubian, Libyan, and Asian captives; the king is always completely different from all of them,” he wrote.
“During the 25th dynasty, the Kingdom of Kush ruled Egypt and those were Kushite pharaohs but they had nothing to do with ancient Egyptian civilization,” he continued.
The Kingdom of Kush was an ancient Nubian civilization of the Nile Valley. Its territory spanned what is today northern Sudan and southern Egypt. At various points throughout their history, the Kushites were both ruled by and ruled over the ancient Egyptians.
Like the Macedonian Greek Ptolemaic Dynasty, they were a foreign people who once ruled over the ancient Egyptians after the foundation of the 25th Dynasty by the Kushite King Piye in the 8th century BC.
Zahi concluded the Facebook post by saying “I am not against black people at all but here I am just listing the evidence that Cleopatra was not black.”
History is written by the winners—and most of it is lies.
It is just getting more obvious these days.
I’d bet she also had a full head of her very own hair.
Unlike Jada or representative baldilocks Pressley.
makes it...just another black commercial...
We can’t let facts get in the way, can we?
I remember a man in my outfit in the USAF back in 1968 claiming Cleopatra was black. And he was a white man from Georgia!
Even then I knew she was Greek!
Don’t they have any history and creativity of their own? They are always plagiarizing works and history and trying to make it theirs. This is nothing to be proud of at all. It displays nothing but jealousy and envy. Do they unconsciously want to be white? Sure looks like it...
If it’s produced in the UK it will have a cast of blacks and south asians.
Trying to placate their inferiority complexes, jealousy, and envy is ruining our civilization. We are openly tearing down meritocratic ideals that made this country great in favor of forced representation. This has been already a disaster for employment and education via affirmative action. It’s now perverting culture and history.
It’s despicable.
She had red hair. I would assume she had a more of a fair complexion
Using the same logic as those idiots in Hollyweird, we should cast Robert E. Lee as a free black that lead the Confederacy against the North.
Side note from history:
There were wealthy free blacks particularly around an upriver from New Orleans. They had slaves. They supported and some fought for the Confederacy. The media and Hollywood never acknowledge this. It all went down the memory hole.
I agree...
I learned that her family was Circassian.
That would be nope and nope. But selling the role is not why she was chosen.
Zahi Hawass is a corrupt, hidebound autocrat. And many of his assumptions regarding Egyptology have been successfully challenged.
CC
The Circassians (also referred to as Cherkess or Adyghe; Adyghe and Kabardian: Адыгэхэр, romanized: Adıgəxər) are an indigenous Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation native to the historical country-region of Circassia in the North Caucasus. As a consequence of the Circassian genocide, which was perpetrated by the Russian Empire in the 19th century during the Russo-Circassian
Just think, in years to come, Dr Zahi Hawass will be depicted as black.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.