Denzel Washington’s role in Antoine Fuqua’s upcoming Netflix film as former Carthaginian general Hannibal is sparking some controversy in Tunisia, the great military commander’s home country.
According to the French newspaper International mail, complaints about the depiction of the Carthaginian general as a black African were made in the media and in the Tunisian parliament. MP Yassine Mami pointed out that Hannibal, born in 247 BC in Carthage – today known as Tunis, the Tunisian capital – was of West Asian Semitic origin. “There is a risk of falsification of history: we must take a position on this subject,” the Tunisian politician is said to have declared.
At the same time, the French-speaking Tunisian newspaper La Presse published an editorial in which it also denounced that describing Hannibal as a black African is “according to Tunisians and many observers, a historical error”.
However, the Tunisian Minister of Culture, Hayet Ketat-Guermazi, has a different, more pragmatic view of the issue.
“It’s fiction. It’s their (Netflix’s) right to do what they want,” she replied, according to the French newspaper Le Monde. “Hannibal is a historical character and we are all proud that he is Tunisian. But what can we do?” She added that she was trying to negotiate with Netflix to shoot at least part of the film in Tunisia. “I hope they decide to shoot at least one sequence of the film here and that it will be made public. We want Tunisia to once again become a location for shooting foreign films,” said Ketat-Guermazi, reported by Le Monde.
Representatives for Netflix, Washington and Fuqua did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The controversy in Tunisia over Washington’s role as Hannibal is reminiscent of the outcry in Egypt in April over Briton Adele James, of mixed heritage, who played Cleopatra in the Netflix docudrama ” Queen Cleopatra. The first-century Egyptian queen was born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 69 BC and belonged to a Greek-speaking dynasty. Egyptian academics went wild over the fact that Cleopatra was of European descent and not black.
The as-yet-untitled film about the Carthaginian general will be written by John Logan, the three-time Oscar winner who wrote Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator” and Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator.”
According to the official script, the film is “based on the real-life warrior Hannibal, who is widely considered one of the greatest military commanders in history.” The film covers the crucial battles he fought against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.
Hannibal invaded Italy riding a North African war elephant. Under his leadership, the Carthaginians won key victories against the Romans, allowing Hannibal to occupy the majority of southern Italy for 15 years. Ultimately, Hannibal was defeated by the Romans at the Battle of Zama after their counter-invasion of North Africa.
Fuqua recently directed Washington in the action thriller “The Equalizer 3,” in which Washington reprized his role as ex-Marine Robert McCall.
Washington is currently involved in another war epic, the upcoming sequel to Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator,” which resumed filming in Malta after production was halted due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
To learn more about NBC BLK, Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
