The casting of Denzel Washington as the ancient Carthaginian general Hannibal in an upcoming Netflix film has sparked controversy and debate in Tunisia, the military general’s birthplace.
Similar to a recent controversy in nearby Egypt over a Netflix docudrama about Cleopatra, Tunisia is now grappling with issues of race and representation in historical films. The decision to cast a black actor as Hannibal has stirred up discussions in Tunisian newspapers, social media, and even the halls of parliament.
French-language Tunisian news outlet La Presse published an article criticizing the casting as a “historical error”, while social media users accused Netflix of promoting “woke culture”. An online petition signed by 1,300 people urged Netflix to “cancel its pseudo-documentary” and called on the ministry of culture to “take action against the attempt to steal our history”.
Hannibal, born in Carthage, near modern-day Tunis, is considered one of history’s greatest military leaders. However, his skin color is not known, and historians largely agree that he was of Phoenician descent. The issue of race has been brought to the fore in Tunisia recently due to the flow of sub-Saharan migrants into the country, with President Kais Saied making controversial statements about the issue in February.
After Washington’s role was announced by Netflix, Tunisian MP Yassine Mami questioned the culture minister, Hayet Ketat Guermazi, about the project in parliament. Guermazi stated that her ministry is focused on negotiating with Netflix to shoot some sequences of the film in Tunisia, expressing a desire for Tunisia to become a platform for foreign films.
This controversy echoes a similar casting decision by Netflix earlier this year, when they cast Adele James, an actor of mixed heritage, as Cleopatra, prompting criticism from the Egyptian antiquities ministry.
While Netflix and Washington have not commented on the controversy, the debate surrounding the casting decision has sparked a broader discussion about race, representation, and historical accuracy in the modern entertainment industry.