The new Netflix documentary series “Queen Cleopatra” premiered on May 10 and quickly reached the Top 10 Netflix list.
Even though it has reached Netflix’s Top 10, the series has a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 2%. This is yet another of the streaming service’s African Queen series which documents female figures of power in African history.
“Queen Cleopatra” has however received major backlash for portraying Cleopatra VII as a black woman which is causing controversy surrounding the historical accuracy of the documentary. It has led the series to be accused of “blackwashing”, since most historians agree that Cleopatra VII was Greek Macedonian and not, as the series shows, Black. This score is also one of the worst audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes in history.
The series “Queen Cleopatra” has also received strong reactions from Egypt, including a lawsuit against Netflix. The star of the series, Adele James, responded to the lawsuit by claiming that it is “rooted in racism”.
Despite the controversy the series still manages to debut in Netflix’s Top 10. However, it is still not sure how Egyptian responses to the series will impact Netflix and how it will affect future movies/ series about African Queens.
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