Opinion | The Debate Over The Racial Identity of Cleopatra

Netflix’s new docudrama series “Queen Cleopatra,” produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith and starring Adele James as Cleopatra, has sparked a passionate debate about the depiction of the legendary monarch as Black. The controversy arises from the fact that Cleopatra is a source of pride for multiple communities with diverse interpretations of her character, identity, and ethnicity. This includes contemporary Egyptians, who perceive her as an important figure in preserving their history and a role model for Egyptian women; Greeks, who highlight her Macedonian and Greek roots; and Black Americans, who claim Cleopatra as a Black African queen. Some scholars argue that the current concept of race as a primarily skin-color-based identifier is a recent invention that does not reflect how people of Cleopatra‘s era viewed themselves and the world. Instead, identity traits such as geography, ancestral origin, language, religion, custom, and culture played a more significant role in dividing groups.

According to the classicist and Cleopatra expert, Shelley Haley, Cleopatra‘s cultural identity as Black comes from being part of a culture and history of oppression, exploitation, survival, and triumph. Despite the inconclusive evidence about her ancestry and physical attributes, we can use what we know of her life, reign, and resistance to understand her race as a shared cultural identity. The feminist dimension of Cleopatra‘s experience as a race and gender-oppressed woman reinforces the claim. Nevertheless, some scholars and experts in the fields of Greco-Roman antiquity, Egyptology, and Greek and Arab news outlets criticize Netflix’s casting as willfully distorting history by representing Cleopatra as Black. They claim that her skin color is not the primary marker of racial difference according to the Greeks and Romans, who did notice skin color. However, this argument overlooks the intersectionality of race and gender that resulted in Cleopatra‘s oppression, casting her sexual identity and heritage as particularly threatening.

The controversy over Cleopatra‘s racial identity raises several philosophical, ethical, and social questions. First, it challenges the current concept of race and how we identify and categorize individuals. Second, it raises the issue of historical truth and accuracy in fictional dramatizations and their social and cultural impact. Third, it highlights the intersectionality of race and gender and how it shapes individuals’ experiences, opportunities, and power dynamics. Fourth, it shows how cultural identity can transcend ethnic and racial boundaries and integrate shared experiences and values.

The debate surrounding Cleopatra‘s racial identity and cultural significance is a reminder that history is multi-layered, and different perspectives and experiences shape how we interpret it. We should approach historical figures with nuance and complexity, acknowledging their diverse identities, contexts, and legacies. At the same time, we should use historical analysis to understand contemporary social and political issues such as racism, sexism, and cultural appropriation. The story of Cleopatra, regardless of her skin color, is a lesson in survival, resistance, and legacy that transcends ethnic, racial, and cultural divisions.

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