In the world of jewelry, Cleopatra is known for her love towards the green gem - emerald. But today the controversy about Netflix’s docudrama surrounds her color of skin
Source: Redbubble.com
Not Just Skin Color
Since it is promoted as a documentary and not a work of fiction, any portrayal of the Egyptian Queen must conform to the historical records and not distort facts.
Source: theconversation.com
Adele James as Queen Cleopatra
The casting of the biracial actress has been said to ‘mislead’ audiences into believing that Cleopatra was of dark skin whereas being from Greek Origin, she was nowhere close to having African or dark features
Source: dailymail.com
The Legal Case
An Egyptian lawyer filed a formal complaint against the film, asking the public prosecutor "to investigate and take all legal measures against the creators of this work and against the platform's management for participating in this crime, and ban the platform in Egypt”
Source: prespectivemedia.com
It’s Not About Racism
Mahmoud El-Semiry, the lawyer complainant, said "Our main objection is the falsification of these facts. It is not about being Black or White or even Yellow. Let's say they wanted to portray Cleopatra as a man, we would also object to that."
Source: egypttoday.com
What’s Your Take?
Would you like the unrealistic portrayal of Cleopatra in a documentary? And would you buy imitation stones rather than real natural emeralds? Buy real at GemsNY