Adele James, a black actress portraying Cleopatra, the last active queen of ancient Egypt whose father was Ptolemaic, in the Queen Cleopatra episode of Netflix’s new docu-series, African Queens, sparked a worldwide debate. The issue naturally hit Egyptian society closer to home than others, which led to James’ portrayal of Cleopatra to be formally addressed on the official level and informally on social media and in everyday conversations. Egypt’s Response There were several responses from the Egyptian side, which garnered widespread support, to what is largely considered historical inaccuracy. The Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities issued a statement clarifying that historians described Cleopatra as light skinned with Hellenistic traits and stated that portraying her otherwise is a “forgery of history”. In addition, the newly-launched channel, Al-Watha’eqeya, has announced the production of its own documentary on Cleopatra. Another method of pushing back, this time on social media, garnered mass engagement. The ‘Egypt for Egyptians’ campaign – expressed through the hashtag in English and Arabic – has Egyptians taking pictures of themselves and placing them next to busts of ancient Egyptians. It is intended to show the similarities in appearance between some…
