I am disappointed I have to write this, because Denzel Washington may be my favorite actor. I think he is smart, talented, and always entertaining. He is also very open about his faith, which these days is pretty unusual. He strikes me as a stand-up guy, not that I spend a lot of time looking into actors’ private lives.

But c’mon, Netflix, the Venn Diagram between Denzel Washington and Hannibal the Carthaginian General includes no overlap unless you count the fact that they are both males and human beings. Hannibal lived on the African continent, sort of (he hailed from what is now modern Tunisia, but was of Phoenician descent, sharing racial stock with modern Lebanese). Carthage was founded as an outpost of the Phoenician traders, who dominated the Mediterranean trade routes for centuries.

Hannibal was also in his 20s when he led his troops against the Romans, famously taking elephants over the Alps in a feat that is unimaginable to sane people. Denzel Washington is 68, although a very well-preserved 68. Pretty sure he couldn’t pass for a young Phoenician general, no matter how well-preserved.

"Tunisians have accused Netflix of “stealing” their history by casting Denzel Washington as General Hannibal … They say Hannibal, who famously marched elephants over the Alps with his infantry and cavalry, was a Carthaginian of Phoenician background"https://t.co/WQCnPRSnav

— Wanjiru Njoya (@WanjiruNjoya) December 11, 2023

Some Tunisians are quite upset about the race and age-swapping for the upcoming production, and it’s pretty hard to argue that they don’t have a point. While Hollywood has never been known for being terribly concerned with historical accuracy, there is a vast difference between changing elements of a fictional story and completely rewriting what is supposed to be history in order to make some DEI point, as is likely the case here.

I say it is likely for the obvious reason: Hollywood, and Netflix in particular, is obsessed with racializing its productions. In Netflix’s case, it has become the subject of many a meme making fun of their tendency to race and gender swap in order to appropriate white male heroes for political purposes.

They do it in everything, to the point where it becomes a joke. Q

Netflix Accused Of “Race Swapping” After Replacing Investigators Who Took Down Purdue Pharma During Opioid Crisis With A Fictional Black Woman (The Publica)

(link to full article below in first reply)

Netflix is under fire once again for “race swapping” following the release of… pic.twitter.com/nkdSPtctLj

— FXHedge (@Fxhedgers) December 10, 2023

Netflix did this same thing not too long ago with its movie about Queen Charlotte (Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz), King George III’s wife, who was of German descent. In the Netflix adaptation of her story, she was Black, although there is no indication that she was transgender. That will come soon enough.

Fun fact: Queen Charlotte introduced the Christmas tree to Great Britain.

Generally speaking, I set aside a few hours to watch a Denzel Washington movie when it comes out, although I prefer his deeper roles to his action-hero ones. For instance, I haven’t seen the latest Equalizer movie, but will sit down to watch Man on Fire every couple of years. I loved Flight.

Tunisian officials have a strong case to make regarding “cultural appropriation,” which is supposed to be a bad thing, right? But that only goes in one direction. A Black actress can play a German who became Queen of England or a Greek-Egyptian Queen, but the reverse would be unacceptable.

Washington’s casting in the film, which is due to start filming next year, was announced by Netflix in November.

The streaming giant said he was preparing to take the part of “one of the greatest military leaders in recorded history”.

But Yassine Mami, an MP, raised the issue in Tunisia’s parliament, saying that there was “a risk of falsifying history” by having a black actor represent the general.

‘Defend Tunisian identity’

Mr Mami, president of a tourism and culture committee, said it was important to “defend Tunisian identity”.

In an editorial, the French language newspaper La Presse said that the prospect of Washington playing the role “is not appealing to many critics” and that it would be a “historical error” because Hannibal was a “white Semite”.

A petition has been launched, urging the Tunisian culture ministry to “enshrine in law measures protecting and fostering our culture and to act against this attempt to steal our history”.

The organisers of the petition said Netflix was propagating an “Afrocentric” view of history.

Tunisians and Levantines are too pale-skinned to count for anything in this equation, although they definitely are higher on the intersectional pyramid than Jews or Europeans.

It’s too bad that Washington is getting drawn into this controversy, both because he is a talented and honorable man and because, in other circumstances, he would be an excellent actor to play a fictional general. I would love to watch a movie like this that didn’t pretend to be based on true events.

For that matter, I hate movies “based on true events,” because they always destroy history, and too few people have any clue about real history.