Egyptian lawyer sues Netflix for telling the truth.
It’s less about Cleopatra and more about the depiction of Black Egyptians
The Arab world has an amazing culture and past. From bringing science and math to Europe, too contributing to the modernizing of society in Egypt. I do not want this article to be taken any way but stating facts that history, science proves the original Egyptians were black African. Now Egyptian lawyers want to sue?
This is why the outrage by Arab Egyptians elitist and others towards the casting of a black actress to play Cleopatra is trivial. An amateur scholar can point out the fact Arabs did not arrive in Egypt in mass until the 7th century CE, which is approximately 1300 years ago, however ancient Egypt is 5000 years old! The first pyramids, built during the Old Kingdom are 4700 years old. How could ancient Egyptians be Arab? Cleopatra came to power almost 2100 years ago! How could Cleopatra be of Arab descent? The math ain’t math’n! The outrage is more about racism from some in the community than accuracy, and the inability to see the diaspora as equal partners in the creation of human civilization!
It’s important to know race did not have the same connotations or societal significance in Cleopatra’s time. Ancient societies had different conceptions of identity, often based on language, culture, and social status rather than physical characteristics or ancestry; however, in the current world, everything is interpreted through race. Cleopatra was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt and was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The Ptolemies, including Cleopatra, were ethnically Greek, and though her grandfather and father were Greek, there’s evidence to suggest her grandmother and mother could have been Egyptian. Therefore, if Cleopatra had Ancient Egyptian ancestry, then it can be argued she was of black African and Greek descent. If this is the case, Jada Pinkett Smith’s casting of a biracial black actress as Cleopatra is more accurate than Elizabeth Taylor’s.
Let’s get further into the weeds and address the real issue of who were the ancient Egyptians. You should not be surprised by my answer, but Yes, Africans did rule and build Egypt. In the 21st century, I wonder why this is still controversial. We are in a time where there is a continued push to censor black history. Egypt, for a time, was a multicultural nation as it traded with and was conquered by the Persians 100 years before Herodotus visited in the 5th century. Following the Persians were the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks, French, and English, but overall, and beforehand, ancient Egypt was African! Other groups contributed to Egypt, but Egypt was an ancient Black African empire with black people of many shades and features.
During a forum titled “The Africanity of Egypt,” Dr. Christopher Ehret, a Distinguished Research Professor and American Scholar of African history and linguistics, stated not only was Ancient Egypt in Africa, but it was of Africa. During the same forum, Dr. Ehret continued highlighting the Africanity and blackness of Egyptian culture, language, and people. He further clarified how the inhabitants of Nubia, a Subsaharan empire south of Egypt, migrated to, developed, and influenced Egypt over thousands of years. This same group of people were also highlighted in National Geographic Magazine as the 25th dynasty of Egypt. According to Susan Goldberg, the first woman hired in 2014 to be the magazine’s editor-in-chief, she was vocal about the magazine’s troubled past of portraying people of African descent as ‘natives’ and happy hunters, noble savages — every type of cliché.” The magazine and its scholars had a history of negating black excellence. However, even National Geographic recognized the black rulers of Egypt when they published National Geographic February 2008 Issue, The Black Pharaohs. This published research by National Geographic focused on the rulers of the 25th Dynasty in Egypt, who were Kushites from a Subsaharan kingdom known to have male and female rulers. They created one of the greatest empires in antiquity and are even mentioned in the bible when the Kushite King, Tarharqa, chased the Assyrians from Judah, saving King Hezekiah and the Jewish people.
Why is this important? Because the term “Subsaharan” is synonymous with being “African” or “Black,” the region known as Nubia is now Sudan! It’s also important because it shows the strength of the Nubians (Sudanese) and their ability to influence Egyptian culture.
During an interview on the Study of Antiquity and the Middle Ages, Dr. Rebecca Futo, the Director of the Denison Museum, confirmed research shows the ancient Egyptians were African. She also stated the ancient Greek scholar Herodotus provided a definitive statement when he compared the Egyptians, by their black skin and kinky hair, to the Colchians and Ethiopians.
Why is this still an argument? Famed French egyptologist Gaston Maspero, who studied Egypt from 1868 to 1917, stated during his years of research, it was conclusive that “…by the almost unanimous testimony of ancient Greek historians, the Ancient Egyptians belonged to the African race, which settled in Ethiopia.” We can also look at Queen Tiye, the mother of the famous Tutankhamun, who was known for her political and religious knowledge. Looking at Queen Tiye’s bust, you can clearly tell she was African.
According to the Washington Post article written in 1987, “The Black Roots of Egypt’s Glory,” France’s Count Volney visited Egypt in 1791. He was a scholar and a world traveler. He recounted how he saw ancient monuments and temples lying half-buried in the sand and had pondered the meaning of civilization, its rise and its fall — reflections that he gave free rein in his “Ruins of Empires.” Volney powerfully asked,“How is it, that a people, now forgotten, discovered, while others were yet barbarians, the elements of the arts and the sciences? A race of men now rejected from society for their dark skin and frizzled hair, founded on the study of the laws of nature, those civil and religious systems which still govern the universe.”
Volney did not have any doubts the ancient Egyptians were African, and he wrote how the Greeks had unanimously proclaimed Egypt’s African origins. They believed the sphinx, which has since been damaged- confirmed it. Volner openly wondered what he perceived as a cruel irony of history that the “…people who had given the world civilization were now a race of slaves and outcasts?”
The continued attempt to suppress black history is alarming. The effort to hide the fact that Black Africans built one of the greatest civilizations the world has ever seen is a result of western ideologies that diminish black people’s contributions to the world. These are the same tactics that thrived in the 18th century when western scholars perpetuated black inferiority to justify the enslavement of black people. I’m not going to get into how some western archeologists and explorers purposely tainted and revised ancient Egyptian artifacts to hide the Africanity of their appearance.
Other ethnicities also have a great history. Nobody can discount the achievement of the Romans, Umayyad Caliphate, or Shang Dynasty. Hundreds of other civilizations made a considerable impact, but why is it that when black people highlight their history, it causes uproar and discontent? Why is there so much pushback when people of African descent speak proudly of their past? This is not “wokeness.” This is history and should be taught as such. I will add that the researchers and professionals I cited are renowned and distinguished in their careers and white! There are prominent black historians and archeologists of the same stature in their careers who I admire and could have cited.
It’s a shame the current Egyptian scholars continue to push lies and eliminated black people from history. I recommend that Egyptians visit their own museums and read books by established researchers. Here are a few:
- Blacks in Antiquity: Ethiopians in the Greco-Roman Experience, by Frank M. Snowden Jr
- The Nubian Pharaohs: Black Kings of the Nile by Dominique Valbelle
- The African Origin of Civilization: The Myth or Reality by Cheikh Anta Diop
- Before the Mayflower: A History of the Negro in America by Lerone Bennett
- Before the Slave Trade, by Robin Walker
- The Civilization of Africa: A History to 1800, by Dr. Christopher Egret
I also recommend the diaspora study its history. The great Marcus Garvey once said,“A people without the knowledge of their history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.”
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