Bassam Al-Shamaa: Egyptian Awareness of the "Afrocentric" Issue is a Positive Thing

Netflix's announcement of a documentary film portraying the life of Egyptian Queen Cleopatra has caused controversy after depicting her as one of the Black Africans, known as the "Afrocentric" phenomenon, reminiscent of the movement's intentions to steal Egyptian civilization's history and fabricate it to magnify the role of Black African civilization.

Regarding this, historian and international lecturer Dr. Bassam Al-Shamaa, in an interview with "El-Dostor," commented that the Afrocentric phenomenon isn't only caused by Africans but other groups from multiple countries with biased objectives against Egypt. These groups futilely attempt to deny Egyptian civilization's influence on world civilizations, as well as the impact of other civilizations on Egypt, which added to its greatness and endured to this day despite the passage of thousands of years.

Al-Shamaa added that the "Afrocentric" phenomenon began when many Black Africans migrated to the Egyptian city of Aswan and mingled with its people in their journey to search for the history of their African hero "Malcolm X," who was smuggled from Africa to the United States as a child to be a slave, where his name was changed. He became a symbol of Black Africans searching for their origins.

He also explained that due to the similarity of the skin tone of Aswan citizens, especially the Nubians, the Africans thought they belonged to the Egyptian origin of building civilizations. Consequently, they falsely believed they were the builders of the oldest "Pharaonic civilization."

The historian and international lecturer confirmed that all the evidence and proofs show that the beliefs of Afrocentric leaders are incorrect in both form and content, pointing out that science has proven that the Nubian gene differs entirely from the negro gene. He also noted that no single papyrus, sentence on stones, or inscription on Egyptian temples indicates the presence of an African construction hand in any ancient Egyptian architectural design, such as the pyramids or otherwise. He continued by stating that no publication from the Afrocentric leaders themselves of an ancient text proves their claims, confirming that their argument is weak before scientists and the world.

At the same time, Al-Shamaa praised Egyptian society's discussion of this phenomenon and its awareness of attempts to steal its civilization, which indicates an increase in Egyptian consciousness, a positive thing. He explained that this awareness must be enhanced by providing citizens with information about their country and its history from reliable sources to confront any false and biased allegations from abroad or within.

The documentary "Queen Cleopatra" is scheduled for release on May 10th and is part of the "African Queens" series produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, focusing on the history of female rulers from the African continent.