As Jada Pinkett-Smith’s voice floats in the background of a succession of images representing historical figure Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt, viewers are introduced to the queen’s story in a sequence of scenes brimming with a dramatic undertone. Professor Shelley P.Haley, the first interviewee, then sets the tone for the rest of the documentary by
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
It has been more than two millennia since she died, and yet Cleopatra remains a raging topic of discussion. The age-old question of Cleopatra's ethnicity looms large. Some say she was white Caucasian, others argue she was Black African, and so on. It's a debate that has been going on for centuries, and one that seems to have no end in sight. The topic comes up once every few years, usually because of casting news regarding her in a TV show or a movie.