2023-04-26 15:34:53
Bassem Youssef
Egyptian doctor and journalist Bassem Youssef topped social media in Egypt and a number of Arab countries following his attack on African-American actor Kevin Hart and Netflix.
Bassem Youssef appeared in an intervention with the journalist Piers Morgan on the British “TalkTV” channel, to respond to the crisis raised by the Netflix network due to the Cleopatra movie, and the controversy surrounding the embodiment of an actress of African descent as Queen Cleopatra.
In response to the statements attributed to African-American actor Kevin Hart, in which he claimed that his ancestors “built the pyramids” in Egypt, Bassem Youssef said, “The matter is not related to people with white or black skin, but rather to the process of cultural appropriation and the philosophy of history carried out by the followers of African centralism.” (Afrocentric).
Youssef continued, “This movement started last century with a good goal of educating African Americans regarding the rich history of West Africa such as the great empire of Benin, Ghana and Mali, so you find people like Kevin Hart who believes in these theories and claims that his ancestors built the pyramids, I’m sorry, your ancestors They have a wonderful civilization in West Africa.”
Cleopatra and the dark skin
The portrayal of a black actress as Queen Cleopatra in an upcoming Netflix documentary sparked controversy on social media in Egypt.
In the past few weeks, Egyptian commentators have denounced the British actress Adele James playing the role of Cleopatra because the pharaonic queen was of Macedonian origin and therefore her skin is not black, and she is not of African descent.
While the film’s owners argue that there are different studies regarding the queen’s skin color and ethnic origins on the one hand, and that James is closer to Cleopatra than previously condemned actresses such as Elizabeth Taylor.
Tweeters also accused the Netflix platform of “changing the ancient history of Egypt, and falsifying established historical data.”
Many considered that Netflix “wants to fight racism and integrate black color in many films, series and dramas.” as they say.
They added that “these films cannot be taken as a historical fact because Cleopatra of Greek origin might not have been black while she was basically white, as it is something that does not agree with the science of history and the antiquities that indicate that.” as they put it.
For his part, the researcher in history and philosophy, Sameh Asaker, said: “I liked a meeting with Bassem Youssef, he responded to his opponent without racism once morest black skin, nor belittling African civilizations. Your identity and culture, and belittling and contempt for others.
Alaa Mubarak comments
For his part, Alaa Mubarak, son of the late Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, commented on Bassem Youssef’s statements, with Piers Morgan.
And he said in a tweet to him through his official account on Twitter: “You are absolutely right regarding that. I hit the truth with strong points, well done.”
Youssef’s clothing criticism
On the other hand, many criticized Bassem Youssef’s recent statements.
Muhammad Al-Disti said: “Bassem Youssef wants to take the shot from the Egyptians who rose up once morest the Queen Cleopatra movie and were able to communicate their voice to the world.
Others considered that Bassem’s statements are not new, but rather the statements of the Egyptian street since the announcement of the film .
Bassem Youssef responds
After the media uproar caused by Bassem Youssef’s interview with Pierce Morgan, Youssef commented on his Facebook page, saying: “My intervention with Piers Morgan on the subject of the Cleopatra movie on Netflix. People like Steven Spielberg believe the Jews built the pyramids.
Bassem Youssef continued his post, saying: “I talked regarding how a woman like Jal Jado plays the role of Cleopatra with her support of the Israeli government, and that this is a much greater insult than the color of the actress’s skin.”
He added, “I also spoke regarding all of this with respect to the great African civilization in West Africa. In the end, we are all sisters and from this continent, but the falsification of history is a big problem.”
Bassem Youssef explained in another post: “People from West Africa and other nationalities agree with the point of view that I put forward. It is very important when we defend our point of view or our history that we do this with politeness and respect for other civilizations. It is never true that while we are defending our history that we are insulting or We underestimate other ethnicities or civilizations, and that is why I insisted that I speak with respect regarding the civilizations of West Africa, because these people are not our enemies, and they will respect us when we respect their history.”
Bassem Youssef added: “It is also important that we are talking regarding systematic forgery from the sixties, to the extent that there are people who believe the issue that the Jews built the pyramids, and this is historical talk that is not correct.”
Bassem Youssef continued: “It is important that we are not involved in a black and white dialogue, because this is a purely American dialogue between whites and blacks there, and we are not supposed to trade in a racist point. On the contrary, I said that it is a much greater insult that they answer someone like Jal Jadu, a former Israeli soldier and supporter of her government’s oppression of the Palestinians. Play the role of Cleopatra.”
Bassem Youssef said: “We are not supposed to be foolish that Cleopatra was white, black, Greek, or African. We are supposed to take the words in a place where people respect you and stand with you without alienating them. Dialogue in Western media must be calculated and thoughtful, and you must understand your audience and see who hears you.” .
Adele James
Actress Adele James commented earlier on the criticism she received because of her role in Cleopatra, saying: “Just for your information, I will not tolerate this behavior and will ban you without hesitation.”
And she continued: “If you do not like the choice of actors, do not watch the show, or watch it and learn regarding the opinion of experts that differs from your opinion. In any case, I am happy, and I will remain so.”
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