But it wasn’t…

    • Son_of_dad@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Is this what Jada is and why she made that documentary about Cleopatra being black, despite all proof to the contrary?

      • Stovetop@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        I don’t know who Jada is, but that sort of thing I usually see more associated with Nation of Islam, which is a different movement but has a similar general trajectory.

        The simpler answer, though, is that I think people want to view Cleopatra as an empowering figure because she was rather subversive for her time. Cleopatra was the ruler of Egypt, Egypt is part of Africa, and she is therefore the most prominent African queen. There were plenty of black people in Egypt even in the ancient days, too, so I think some people love to imagine the possibility that Cleopatra was black.

        But it just conveniently ignores the truth that not only was the Ptolemaic dynasty Greek, but they were legendarily incestuous. Not much “outside influence” in those genes, I’d reckon.