Violent controversy in Tunisia after the Netflix platform announced a film project about the Carthaginian general Hannibal, starring actor Denzel Washington.
It is the famous American actor's skin color that is a problem. The matter became so serious that it was finally raised in Parliament.
This is the second such affair to erupt in a North African country, after Egypt, which complained about a black actress's interpretation of Cleopatra. Falsification of history, Afrocentrism or anti-black racism?
The famous American platform announced the project of a film about Hannibal Barca (247-183 BC), considered one of the greatest generals and military strategists in history.
Neither the film's start date nor its release date was revealed, but one revealed detail was enough to spark controversy in Tunisia.
The famous Carthaginian chef is played by Denzel Washington. However, it is believed in Tunisia that Hannibal, as he was portrayed until then, was not black.
On social networks, many Tunisians recalled the Punic origins of the founders of Carthage and that Hannibal could therefore not be black, but a white North African.
Many have pointed the finger at an action by Afrocentrists. Afrocentrism is a doctrine that portrays Africa as the cradle not only of humanity but also of civilizations.
In the Tunisian Parliament, MP Yassine Mami, no doubt to avoid accusations of racism, did not address the issue from this angle by questioning the Minister of Culture, Hayat Guermazi.
The parliamentarian complained that Tunisia was not involved and was not informed about the content of the film, which could lead to a “falsification of history”.
The minister replied that her ministry was trying to negotiate with the American platform so that certain scenes would be filmed in Tunisia, nothing more. Furthermore, the film is a work of fiction and Tunisia has no right to control its content.
Tunisia: Anger over a film about Hannibal
The controversy is more heated on social networks. A petition calling on Netflix to stop its “pseudo-documentary” is signed by 2,000 people, denouncing an “attempt to steal Tunisia's history.”
While some find Denzel Washington “too old” for the role (68 years old), others think he is “too black” to faithfully embody the Carthaginian military strategist.
La Presse, one of Tunisia's largest newspapers, wrote, citing critics, that it was a “historical mistake” to “portray Hannibal as a black African, even though he was a white Semite.”
The controversy is all the worse considering that Tunisia was the subject of racism a few months ago, following President Kaïs Saïed's comments last February about migrants from sub-Saharan countries who, in his opinion, were invading Tunisia to protect its demographic structure to change. Comments were described as “shocking” by the African Union, among others.
Last April, it was Egypt that loudly opposed another Netflix film in which Queen Cleopatra was played by black actress Adele James.
The affair sparked a strong response from the authorities, who allocated a large budget to produce their own documentary film to restore what they believe to be the historical truth.
“Cleopatra had white skin and Hellenistic facial features,” the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities said in an official press release.
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