The Egyptian antiquities ministry has said that Cleopatra was “white-skinned” amid a casting row surrounding Netflix’s Queen Cleopatra.
In the documentary, which is being narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith, Cleopatra is portrayed by Adele James, who is biracial.
Her casting has sparked debate in Egypt, due to the contested nature of the real-life Cleopatra’s racial identity.
Ever since the trailer was released, an online petition accusing the production of rewriting history has been signed by over 7,000 people.
“Afrocentrism is a pseudoscience that is pushing a group’s agenda to claim Egypt’s history and rob the actual Egyptians of it. By using false articles and zero evidence, they are still attempting to falsify history,” the petition description reads.
“Cleopatra was born in Alexandria, Egypt in the Ptolemaic dynasty to Greek descent. She was NOT Black. This is in no way against Black people, and is simply a wake up call to preserve the history and the integrity of the Egyptians and the Greeks.”
On Thursday (27 April), the antiquities ministry of Egypt weighed in on the issue, saying that Cleopatra had “white skin and Hellenistic characteristics”.
“Bas-reliefs and statues of Queen Cleopatra are the best proof,” the ministry’s statement said.
Cleopatra was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 BC, succeeding her father Ptolemy XII in 51 BC and ruled until her death in 30 BC.
The identity of Cleopatra’s mother is unknown, leading historians to suggest that she may have been Egyptian or from another part of Africa. Others, though, have suggested that her mother may have been Greek as her race was never documented.
Last week, Queen Cleopatra’s director Tina Gharavi opened up about the backlash surrounding the documentary’s casting.
“Why shouldn’t Cleopatra be a melanated sister?” Gharavi wrote. “And why do some people need Cleopatra to be white? Her proximity to whiteness seems to give her value, and for some Egyptians it seems to really matter.
“After much hang-wringing and countless auditions, we found in Adele James an actor who could convey not only Cleopatra’s beauty, but also her strength. What the historians can confirm is that it is more likely that Cleopatra looked like Adele than Elizabeth Taylor ever did,” she added.
Queen Cleopatra will be released on Netflix on 10 May.
