African Queens (TV series)

Last updated
African Queens
Genre Docudrama
Written by
  • Peres Owino
  • Nnenne Iwuji
Directed by
Starring
Narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith
Music byMichael 'Mikey' J Asante
Country of origin
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producerJada Pinkett Smith
CinematographySean Francis
Running time45 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Netflix
ReleaseFebruary 15 (2023-02-15) 
May 10, 2023 (2023-05-10)

African Queens is a 2023 docudrama series focusing on female monarchs, airing on the streaming service Netflix. The series is produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith and features dramatized fictional re-enactments as well as interviews with experts. The first season covers Njinga, Queen of Ndongo and Matamba, and is directed by Ethosheia Hylton. The second season focuses on Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, Pharaoh Cleopatra VII Philopator, and is directed by Tina Gharavi.

Contents

Summary

Ann Zingha.jpg
Drawing of Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba in Luanda, Angola
Kleopatra-VII.-Altes-Museum-Berlin1.jpg
The Berlin Cleopatra, a Roman sculpture of Cleopatra wearing a royal diadem, mid-1st century BC.

The docu-drama series combines dramatic recreations with interviews with historians and people from the modern-day regions that the Queen ruled over. Producer Jada Pinkett Smith cited a lack of stories covering Black queens as her inspiration for helming the series. [1] She said: "We don't often get to see or hear stories about Black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community to be able to know those stories because there are tons of them." [2]

For the first season, the life of Njinga, Queen of Ndongo and Matamba, is explored. [3] Interviewees include Kellie Carter Jackson, Wellesley College associate professor in the Department of Africana Studies; Diambi Kabatusuila, the present-day traditional Queen of the Bakwa Luntu people in Central Kasaï; and Rosa Cruz e Silva, the former director of the National Archives of Angola. [4] [5]

The second season explores the reign of Cleopatra, queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. [6] Postdoctorate Black feminist and Classicist Professor Shelley P. Haley was interviewed for the second season. [7]

Cast

African Queens: Njinga (2023)

Queen Cleopatra (2023)

Episodes

Season overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
14February 15, 2023 (2023-02-15)
24May 10, 2023 (2023-05-10)

African Queens: Njinga

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Death of a King"Ethosheia HyltonPeres OwinoFebruary 15, 2023 (2023-02-15)
The life of Njinga prior to her accession, including her relationship with the Portuguese Empire's growing influence over her home.
22"Power is Not Given"Ethosheia HyltonPeres OwinoFebruary 15, 2023 (2023-02-15)
Njinga's brother and king of Ndongo, Mbandi, dies, thrusting Njinga into a powerful position.
33"The Blood Oath"Ethosheia HyltonNnenne IwujiFebruary 15, 2023 (2023-02-15)
Njinga must make sacrifices and deals in order to solidify her power, marrying an Imbangala warlord Kasanje.
44"Legacy"Ethosheia HyltonNnenne IwujiFebruary 15, 2023 (2023-02-15)
Njinga negotiates with the Portuguese to recognize her kingdom as independent.

Queen Cleopatra

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
51"Rivals" Tina Gharavi Peres OwinoMay 10, 2023 (2023-05-10)
Cleopatra ascends the throne and her siblings vie for power as Julius Caesar meets her.
62"When in Rome"Tina GharaviPeres OwinoMay 10, 2023 (2023-05-10)
The birth of Caesarion and assassination plots shape Cleopatra's reign and relationship with Rome.
73"What Must Be Done"Tina GharaviNnenne IwujiMay 10, 2023 (2023-05-10)
Cleopatra forges a relationship with Ceasar's rival Mark Antony and Cleopatra participates in the Battle of Actium.
84"The Last Pharaoh"Tina GharaviNnenne IwujiMay 10, 2023 (2023-05-10)
Octavian and the Roman army target Egypt. Cleopatra dies.

Release

The first season premiered on February 15, 2023. [3] The second season premiered on May 10, 2023. [6] With the release of each season, all episodes were released simultaneously on Netflix.

Reception

African Queens: Njinga

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 88% of 8 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. [8] Metacritic assigned African Queens: Njinga a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [9] Ellen E. Jones of The Guardian was critical of the first series, awarding it 2 out of 5 stars, saying that "This tale of a 17th-century African female ruler features impressive academics, but they're drowned out by poor-quality dramatic sequences. It lacks context, analysis or personality." [10] Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter was also critical, saying that the format limited the ability to go deeply into the subject. [11] Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times , however, praised the first series and gave it three out of four stars, saying while the "jazzy score and sometimes melodramatic dialogue occasionally [interrupts] the moment[, the show] keeps us involved and heats up the often violence-soaked drama in subsequent episodes". [12] Luke Peppa of the Financial Times exclaims that, as in Njinga, with greater exposure to stories featuring African histories and myths, one might "even be inspired to create their own Africa-centric stories, [having a] wealth of stories that are yet to be told." [13]

Queen Cleopatra

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 18% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.6/10. The website's critics' consensus reads, "Queen Cleopatra may posit some fresh speculation about the ubiquitous monarch, but its glossy presentation errs more towards a superficial toga party than a substantive endeavor." [14] Metacritic assigned Queen Cleopatra a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [15] Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph gave it 2 out of 5 stars, saying, "It's too soapy for serious history fans, and not enough of a soap for viewers who like juicy historical dramas." [16] The Indian Express writer Rohan Naahar says that "you don't quite get an idea of who Cleopatra was as a person[...] She's projected, funnily enough, as a Beyonce-like figure." Naahar criticized the production design of the show, saying that Queen Cleopatra "[didn't] feature a single archive photograph of the palaces in which she lived, or of her many sculptures, or even paintings of her most famous conquests — both geographical and romantic." [17]

Controversy

Cleopatra was played by Adele James in the second season's dramatic reenactment scenes. James is an actress of mixed Jamaican and English ancestry, which caused controversy over the depiction of Cleopatra's race. [18]

The Egyptian government responded negatively to the casting decision. Egypt's Ministry of Antiquities stated that the series represented a "falsification of Egyptian history." [2] The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Archeology through the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities released a statement on the issue, claiming that Queen Cleopatra was "light-skinned and (had) Hellenic features." They cited Roman and Ptolemaic Greek coins, statues, and other depictions of Cleopatra as evidence, adding his complaint was "far from any ethnic racism." [19] [20] Former antiquities minister and Egyptologist Zahi Hawass was critical of the second season. He said, "This is completely fake. Cleopatra was a Macedonian Greek, meaning that she was light skinned, not black," adding that "Netflix is trying to provoke confusion by spreading false and deceptive facts that the origin of the Egyptian civilisation is black." [21] [22] [18] [23]

On May 9, 2023, CBS News interviewed Monica Hanna, an Egyptologist, who expressed her discontent with the film because "it is pushing an Afrocentric agenda ... imposing the identity politics of the 21st century and appropriating the ancient Egyptian past, just as the Eurocentrists and the far-right in Europe are doing". [24] She further added that ancient Egypt "was more of a culture than it was a race." [25]

On May 14, 2023, Sara Khorshid, an Egyptian historian, criticized some responses to the media as "antiblack racism", but saying this "should not detract from legitimate criticisms of the show" as showing a Western and Orientalist bias in its depiction of Egypt. [26]

On April 21, 2023, the director Gharavi defended the casting, stating, "Doing the research, I realized what a political act it would be to see Cleopatra portrayed by a Black actress," [21] but insisted that "what the historians can confirm is that it is more likely that Cleopatra looked like Adele than Elizabeth Taylor ever did." [27]

Islam Issa, a philosopher and the only Egyptian voice in the documentary, expressed disappointment in Gharavi's politicizing of the casting. [28]

Producers of the series stated that Cleopatra's ethnicity "is not the focus of Queen Cleopatra, but we did intentionally decide to depict her of mixed ethnicity to reflect theories about Cleopatra's possible Egyptian ancestry and the multicultural nature of ancient Egypt." [29]

Adele James questioned the validity of the concept of "blackwashing" and expressed her disappointment with racial perceptions "that people are either so self-loathing or so threatened by Blackness that they feel the need to do that, to separate Egypt from the rest of the continent". [30] [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleopatra</span> Queen of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC

Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler. A member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great. Her first language was Koine Greek, and she is the only Ptolemaic ruler known to have learned the Egyptian language. After her death, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire, marking the end of the last Hellenistic-period state in the Mediterranean, a period which had lasted since the reign of Alexander.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Smith</span> American actor and rapper (born 1968)

Willard Carroll Smith II is an American actor, rapper and film producer. He has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and four Grammy Awards. As of 2024, his films have grossed over $9.5 billion globally, making him one of Hollywood's most bankable stars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jada Pinkett Smith</span> American actress (born 1971)

Jada Koren Pinkett Smith is an American actress, singer and talk show host. She is co-host of the Facebook Watch talk show Red Table Talk, for which she has won a Daytime Emmy Award. Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scream queen</span> Actress known for her work in horror films

A scream queen is an actress who is prominent and influential in horror films, either through a notable appearance or recurring roles. A scream king is the male equivalent. Notable female examples include Barbara Steele, Sandra Peabody, Linda Blair, Felissa Rose, Olivia Hussey, Marilyn Burns, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Neve Campbell, Daria Nicolodi, Dee Wallace, Sarah Paulson, Vera Farmiga, Jamie Lee Curtis, Taissa Farmiga, Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Samara Weaving, Heather Langenkamp, Shawnee Smith, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Melissa Barrera, Naomi Scott and Linnea Quigley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba</span> Ambundu queen in Angola (c. 1583–1663)

Nzinga Ana de Sousa Mbande, Nzinga was a southwest African ruler who ruled as queen of the Ambundu Kingdoms of Ndongo (1624–1663) and Matamba (1631–1663), located in present-day northern Angola. Born into the ruling family of Ndongo, her grandfather Ngola Kilombo Kia Kasenda was the king of Ndongo.

<i>Set It Off</i> (film) 1996 film directed by F. Gary Gray

Set It Off is a 1996 American heist drama crime action film directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Kate Lanier and Takashi Bufford. The film stars Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, and Kimberly Elise. It follows four close friends in Los Angeles, California, who plan to execute a bank robbery—each doing so for different reasons—to achieve better for themselves and their families.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleopatra Selene II</span> Queen consort of Mauretania, 25 to 5 BC

Cleopatra Selene II was a Ptolemaic princess, Queen of Numidia and Mauretania and Queen of Cyrenaica. She was an important royal woman in the early Augustan age.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shonda Rhimes</span> American television producer and writer (born 1970)

Shonda Lynn Rhimes, is an American television producer and screenwriter, and founder of the production company Shondaland. Inducted into the Television Hall of Fame and NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Rhimes became known as the showrunner—creator, head writer, and executive producer—of the medical drama Grey's Anatomy (2005–present), its spin-off Private Practice (2007–2013) and the political thriller Scandal (2012–2018), becoming the first woman to create three television dramas that have achieved the 100 episode milestone.

<i>All of Us</i> American television sitcom (2003–2007)

All of Us is an American sitcom that premiered on the UPN network in the United States on September 16, 2003, where it aired for its first three seasons. On October 1, 2006, the show moved to The CW, a new network formed by the merger of UPN and The WB, where it aired for one more season before being cancelled on May 15, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Egyptian race controversy</span> Question of the race of ancient Egyptians

The question of the race of the ancient Egyptians was raised historically as a product of the early racial concepts of the 18th and 19th centuries, and was linked to models of racial hierarchy primarily based on craniometry and anthropometry. A variety of views circulated about the racial identity of the Egyptians and the source of their culture.

<i>Hawthorne</i> (TV series) American medical drama television series

Hawthorne is an American medical drama television series created by John Masius. It starred Jada Pinkett Smith and Michael Vartan and premiered on TNT on June 16, 2009. On September 16, 2010, it was announced that Hawthorne had been renewed for a third season consisting of ten episodes. The season premiered on June 14, 2011, and ended on August 16, 2011.

<i>Girls Trip</i> 2017 American film by Malcolm D. Lee

Girls Trip is a 2017 American comedy film starring Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah. The film is directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver, from a story by the pair and Erica Rivinoja, who based the script off their own experiences with their female friends. The film follows a group of four friends who go to New Orleans to attend the Essence Music Festival in order to reconnect after a long time.

<i>Red Table Talk</i> Television program

Red Table Talk is an American talk show starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Jada's mother, Adrienne Banfield-Norris. The series premiered on May 7, 2018 on Facebook Watch, and would run for 5 seasons and 129 episodes on the streaming service. The series also spawned a spinoff, Red Table Talk: The Estefans, led by Gloria Estefan, Emily Estefan and Lili Estefan. Facebook Watch ended the series run in April 2023 as part of the cancellation of all TV shows of original programming on Facebook Watch, although Red Table Talk producers, Westbrook Studios, will continue the project and are reportedly seeking a new home for the series, which is slated to return in 2024.

Minhal Baig is an American director, producer, and writer from Chicago, Illinois. She has written and directed three films, 1 Night, Hala and We Grown Now, and written for the television shows Ramy and Bojack Horseman.

<i>Bridgerton</i> American television series

Bridgerton is an American historical romance television series created by Chris Van Dusen for Netflix. Based on the book series by Julia Quinn, it is Shondaland's first scripted show for Netflix. The series is set during the early 1800s in an alternative London Regency era, in which George III established racial equality and granted many people of African descent aristocratic titles due to the African heritage of his wife, Queen Charlotte. The viewer is taken to observe the highly competitive social season; where young marriageable nobility and gentry are introduced into society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethnicity of Cleopatra</span> Debate regarding the race of the Egyptian ruler

The ethnicity of Cleopatra VII, the last active Hellenistic ruler of the Macedonian-led Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, has caused debate in some circles. There is a general consensus among scholars that she was predominantly of Macedonian Greek ancestry and minorly of Iranian descent. Others, including some scholars and laymen, have speculated whether she may have had additional ancestries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westbrook (company)</span> American entertainment company

Westbrook Inc. is an American multimedia and entertainment venture company founded by actor Will Smith and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith. The company was founded in 2019, in order to execute the Smith Family's global content with Will Smith's production company Overbrook Entertainment becoming one of its subsidiaries. It is headquartered in Calabasas, California, with 80 employees as of March 2021.

Jada Shada Hudson is the stage name of Dwight Giraud, a Barbadian-Canadian drag performer who competed on season 3 of Canada's Drag Race.

Adele James is a British actress and screenwriter. She plays Tina Mollett in the TV series, Casualty. In 2023, James starred in the Netflix docuseries, Queen Cleopatra.

References

  1. "'African Queens' Tells the Royal Stories You Haven't Heard Before". Netflix Tudum. Archived from the original on 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2023-05-11.
  2. 1 2 Yee, Vivian (2023-05-10). "Whose Queen? Netflix and Egypt Spar Over an African Cleopatra". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  3. 1 2 "'African Queens: Njinga' trailer: Jada Pinkett Smith narrates Netflix docuseries - UPI.com". UPI. Archived from the original on 2023-04-13. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  4. Zornosa, Laura (2023-02-15). "A Fearless Ruler Battles the Slave Trade in Netflix's African Queens: Njinga". Time. Archived from the original on 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
  5. "The real-life leader behind Netflix's 'African Queens: Njinga,' as told by a Wellesley professor". News. 2023-02-16. Archived from the original on 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  6. 1 2 Martin, Annie (April 12, 2023). "'Queen Cleopatra' trailer: Jada Pinkett Smith narrates new docuseries - UPI.com". United Press International . Archived from the original on 2023-04-12. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  7. Latif, Leila (2023-05-10). "Queen Cleopatra review – the idea that you need a white actor is utterly insidious". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  8. "African Queens: Njinga - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Archived from the original on 2023-02-18. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
  9. "African Queens: Njinga". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  10. Jones, Ellen E. (2023-02-15). "African Queens: Njinga review – Jada Pinkett Smith's docudrama is like a mediocre Channel 5 show". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  11. Han, Angie (2023-02-15). "'African Queens: Njinga' Review: Jada Pinkett Smith's Compelling Netflix Docu-Drama Hybrid Leaves You Wanting More". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  12. Roeper, Richard (2023-02-14). "'African Queens: Njinga': Captivating Netflix series traces a crafty, deadly rise to power". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2023-04-15. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  13. "From 'The Woman King' to Netflix's 'African Queens' — how Africa's history went pop". Financial Times. 2023-03-11. Archived from the original on 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  14. "Queen Cleopatra". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media. Archived from the original on May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  15. "Queen Cleopatra: Season 1". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  16. Singh, Anita (2023-05-03). "Netflix's controversial Queen Cleopatra will end up pleasing nobody". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2023-05-10. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  17. "Queen Cleopatra review: Controversial Netflix documentary deserves to be buried in a crypt". The Indian Express. 2023-05-12. Archived from the original on 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  18. 1 2 Gritten, David (2023-04-19). "Egyptians complain over Netflix depiction of Cleopatra as black". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-04-19. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  19. Butterfield, Michelle (2023-04-28). "A Black Queen Cleopatra? Egyptians lash out at Netflix's depiction". Global News. Archived from the original on 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  20. Gubash, Charlene; Smith, Patrick (2023-04-28). "Cleopatra was not Black, Egypt tells Netflix ahead of new series". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  21. 1 2 Saad, Nardine (2023-04-21). "Director of Netflix series starring a Black Cleopatra fires back at Egyptian backlash". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2023-04-25. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  22. Vivarelli, Nick (2023-04-20). "Cleopatra's African Heritage in Netflix Docudrama Sparks Uproar in Egypt". Variety. Archived from the original on 2023-04-20. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
  23. "Cleopatra was not black" . Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  24. "Why some Egyptians are fuming over Netflix's Black Cleopatra". CBS News . May 25, 2023.
  25. Saad, Nardine (10 May 2023). "After backlash to Netflix's Black 'Queen Cleopatra,' Egypt plans counterprogramming". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  26. Korshid, Sara (14 May 2023). "Why Netflix's 'Queen Cleopatra' Has Egypt up in Arms". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  27. "Netflix's 'Cleopatra' director defends Black casting: 'What Bothers You So Much About a Black Cleopatra?'". Fox News . 23 April 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  28. Issa, Islam (1 May 2023). "Cleopatra was Egyptian — whether Black or brown matters less". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  29. "Queen Cleopatra actress Adele James talks 'blackwashing'". CBS . 12 May 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  30. France, Lisa Respers (12 May 2023). "'Queen Cleopatra' actress Adele James talks 'blackwashing'". CNN. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  31. Vlessing, Etan (11 May 2023). "Adele James Talks Netflix's Controversial 'Queen Cleopatra' Series: "Blackwashing Isn't a Thing"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.