Cleopatra casting controversy

1

WHAT WE’RE TRACKING TONIGHT

THIS EVENING: Egypt, UN call for ceasefire as rumors swirl about Al Bashir’s whereabouts

Good afternoon, wonderful people. We hope your first day back at work after Ramadan and a (very) long Eid weekend has been smooth sailing — and are happy to remind you that the weekend is once again within arm’s reach.

THE BIG STORY AT HOME + ABROAD

Egypt, UN call for ceasefire as rumors swirl about Al Bashir’s whereabouts: Egypt urged the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to abide by the ceasefire the two sides had previously agreed to, with Egypt's Permanent Representative to the UN Osama Abdel Khalek saying in a speech to the UN Security Council that Egypt hopes the armed forces and RSF will engage in dialogue to resolve the conflict. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also called for an immediate deescalation in Sudan, condemning the violence and calling for greater international action to push the two parties to engage in talks, Bloomberg reports. Meanwhile, Sudan’s Armed Forces issued a statement this morning confirming that former President Omar Al Bashir is being held at a military hospital. Al Bashir’s whereabouts were called into question after Ahmed Haroun — a former minister from Al Bashir’s government — said yesterday that he had escaped prison with other former officials. Both Al Bashir and Haroun are wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity in Darfur.

** CATCH UP QUICK on the top stories from today’s EnterpriseAM:

S&P Global Ratings has cut its outlook on Egypt’s debt to negative, warning that the country risks not being able to meet its external funding needs if it doesn’t deliver on economic reforms tied to its IMF assistance program.
The Madbouly government is set to increase spending on subsidies and social safety programs by almost 50% in FY 2023-2024 as it looks to offset the impact of soaring inflation on household budgets.
Imports worth EGP 23 bn have been released from our ports since January, with priority continuing to be given to key commodities, food, medicine, and manufacturing components, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said.

The Enterprise Exports & FDI Forum, our latest industry-specific conference, is taking place on Monday, 15 May. The Enterprise Exports & FDI Forum will give insiders and newcomers alike the chance to talk about how to develop an export-centered business and how their companies can help Egypt build an export-led economy that makes us a magnet for foreign direct investment (FDI).

Why exports & FDI? In the wake of successive floats of EGP, exports and FDI have never been more important to our economy — or our businesses. We’re gathering some of the CEOs, top execs from local companies and multinationals, investors, bankers and finance folks to speak on how businesses can adapt their strategies to be export-oriented and what Egypt as a country can do to draw foreign investment and much-needed FX. Expect it to be heavy on lessons learned in Egypt and other global growth markets — and lots of success stories.You can learn more on our conference website here.

And what better place to discuss moving our goods than Egypt’s original logistics zone — the Nile. That’s why we’re looking forward to holding the event by the river’s vistas at the Four Seasons, Nile Plaza.

Some of the biggest names in business and finance are on board — are you? The Enterprise Exports and FDI Forum is taking place with the generous support of our friends, including:

Banking partners: Banque Misr | Al Baraka Bank | Emirates NBD | HSBC

Event partners: Beyti | Concrete | Global Corp | Grant Thornton | Hassan Allam Utilities

WANT TO BECOME A COMMERCIAL PARTNER? Ping a note to Moustafa, our head of commercial, here.

HAVEN’T REQUESTED AN INVITE YET? If you’re a C-suite exec, business owner, DFI staff, export executive, investor or banker, please fill out the form here to signal your interest, letting us know your name, title and where you work.

? CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

PSA #1- Daylight savings is coming this Friday: That’s right, folks. Get ready for some semi-jet lagged confusion and tardiness. Friday, 28 April, will be the first day of daylight savings — our first since 2016 — which will see Cairo Local Time (CLT) pushed forward by one hour. Daylight savings will remain in effect until 11:59pm on Thursday, 26 October, Cabinet said in a statement. The move, which breezed through the House of Representatives earlier this month, was made with an eye towards potentially cutting down our natural gas consumption.

PSA #2- Next week is another short one: We’ve got a three-day weekend next week to ease us all back into work mode, after Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly made Thursday, 4 May, a holiday for the public and private sector to mark Labor Day, which falls on 1 May.

The NBA Basketball Africa League Nile Conference group phase kicks off today, 26 April, and runs through 5 May at Hassan Moustafa Sports Hall in Sixth of October City, according to a Youth and Sports Ministry statement. Six African teams will go head-to-head in Cairo to secure one of four slots in the playoffs and finals in Kigali, Rwanda in May, where they will face the top four teams from the Sahara Conference group phase that took place in Senegal in March, the NBA said.

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- The mercury will rise again tomorrow to peak at 24°C during the day before falling to a low of 17°C in the evening, our favorite weather app says.

Netflix catches heat for Queen Cleopatra docuseries casting + Meet Ancient Egypt’s first-ever woman pharaoh

Netflix’s upcoming Queen Cleopatra docuseries has been stirring controversy over its choice to cast a Black actress to play the queen, Unilad reported. The trailer for the docuseries — which follows the female ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty fighting to protect her throne, family and legacy — drew criticism for its racial depiction of Cleopatra, with several pointing to historical records indicating she was Macedonian-Greek. Netflix was forced to turn off the comments feature on the trailer after several users posted negative comments, according to Unilad.

The casting choices led to debate about Afrocentrism: Netflix’s synopsis of the docuseries says it looks at “'the lives of prominent and iconic African Queens,” while executive producer and narrator Jada Pinkett Smith said, “We don't often get to see or hear stories about black queens, and that was really important for me, as well as for my daughter, and just for my community to be able to know those stories because there are tons of them.” These descriptors led many — including archaeologist and former Antiquities Minister Zahi Hawass and comedian Bassem Youssef (watch, runtime: 9:23) — to criticize Netflix for “promoting Afrocentric thinking.” And in true Egyptian fashion, one lawyer filed a complaint to the prosecutor general demanding that Netflix be shut down in Egypt.

Speaking of the women of Ancient Egypt: Meet Neferusobek, Egypt’s first woman pharaoh, whose reign was brief but impactful, according to National Geographic. After the death of her father, Amenemhat III — a ruler from the 12th dynasty — Neferusobek’s brother-turned-husband, Amenemhat IV, acceded to the throne, making Neferusobek queen. The siblings’ marriage suited the nobility’s interests as it ensured bloodline continuity and widespread acceptance that they would produce a new rightful heir.

But fate had other plans: Amenemhat IV passed after less than a decade in power, without having produced viable heirs. This left Neferusobek to lead the Kingdom — a first for Egypt. Neferusobek relied on her bloodline to justify her ascension as ruler and was ultimately accepted in her new capacities.

An unbefitting title: The title of queen being unprecedented and deemed unbefitting — because it implied obedience to a king — Egypt’s new ruler was granted many titles and went ahead to solidify her station by ensuring the strength of the dynasty, undergoing the required temple rituals, and erecting statues of herself and her name across the kingdom’s temples. She also kept the peace and security as Egypt plunged into a drought that caused a widespread famine.

…and an untimely death: While the cause of the unexpected ruler’s death almost four years into her reign remains unknown among experts, a murder seems unlikely, the article notes. Murder is ruled out because, if her rule had been seen as unlawful or scandalous — being a woman and all —- her name would have likely been removed for the Turin king-list: An ancient papyrus inscribed in hieratic, currently housed in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, which includes a list of the gods, demi-gods, spirits, legendary, and human rulers who presided over Egypt.

What’s in a name? Unlike Cleopatra and Nefertiti, whose names have transcended the annals of history and are now common knowledge, the same cannot be said about their predecessor. Neferusobek is a rather obscure name that most people remain unfamiliar with. This could be due to the unfortunate fact that no representation of her face survives.

The Undoing: Manhattan socialites try to keep face while battling murder charges

? ON THE TUBE TONIGHT-
(all times CLT)

Did he? Or did he not? HBO mini-series The Undoing brings us Nicole Kidman as Grace Fraser, a psychiatrist coming from old money and wife to Dr Jonathan Fraser (Hugh Grant), an adored pediatric oncologist who is the primary suspect in the gruesome murder of Elena Alves, a young artist from a lower-socioeconomic class and mother to one of Jonathan’s former patients. The episodes see Grace battling to prove her husband’s innocence and keep face as a Manhattan socialite while helping their pre-teen son navigate his father being accused of murder. As the events unfold, she makes discoveries about her husband — affairs that went unnoticed and a child’s death that was unmentioned. As she and her husband face the consequences in the courtroom she tries to use her skills and knowledge as a psychiatrist to uncover the veil that the privileged class use to cover their crimes in upper society and to find the truth behind this heinous crime.

⚽ Today in the Egyptian Premier League: Zamalek hosts Ceramica Cleopatra at 8:30pm in a bid to secure three points and narrow its gap with Pyramids, which is currently in third place in the league, six points ahead of the White Knights. Tala’ea El Gaish, meanwhile, will hit the field against Ghazl El Mahalla at 5pm.

Will the English Premier League title be settled tonight? Manchester City clashes with Arsenal at 9pm tonight in a match that could tip the scale in either team’s favor, with just five points separating the two — although Man City has the advantage, having played two fewer games. The Gunners are currently at the top of the league with 75 points from 32 games, while the two-time defending champions are in second place with 70 points from 30 games, giving them a chance to end up at the top of the league if they win their two delayed fixtures. A tie today would leave things unchanged, while a victory for Man City would put the team just two points behind Arsenal, with another six points it could secure from its two delayed games. Arsenal sorely needs a victory tonight to secure an eight-point advantage over Man City and clinch the championship title, which it hasn’t earned since the 2003-2004 season.

Elsewhere today:

Nottingham Forest v Brighton (8:30pm)
West Ham v Liverpool (8:45pm)
Chelsea v Brentford (8:45pm)

Dive into Egypt’s infinitely rich contemporary art world: The “Traces of Egypt” Exhibition began in late March and will continue until Thursday, 15 June, at the Grand Egyptian Museum. The exhibit is organized by Egyptian-German artist Susan Hefuna and celebrates the country’s Khayamiya tradition through 28 dresses celebrating local artisans and their craftsmanship.

Expressionist depiction of Egypt’s rural communities: Artist Omar Abdel Zaher’s latest art exhibition, Roots, will open at Safarkhan Art Gallery next Tuesday, 2 May and run through Wednesday, 24 May. The exhibition is “a sincere, impassioned exploration and meditation on the modest and down-to-earth sanctities of Egypt’s rural communities.”

Top of the Pops with Bubblegum Kollectiv returns next Wednesday, 3 May with Afrobeats and Reggaeton night at Cairo Jazz Club Agouza. DJ Amen-Ra will start the evening at 9pm.

Enjoy art for a good cause: The French Embassy in Cairo is hosting Le Printemps des Artistes, a nonprofit exhibition from next Friday-Sunday, 5-7 May at the Diplomatic Club in downtown Cairo. The exhibition — which will be open to the public at no charge — will feature nearly 400 art pieces from 80 Egypt-based artists. The exhibition will benefit French NGO Samusocial International Egypt, which “supports street children and isolated young mothers in Cairo,” according to a press release (pdf).

Learn how to (properly) use your phone camera with the help of professional photographer Mohamed Elmaandi, who will be running a 10-hour workshop on mobile photography. The workshop will run on Friday and Saturday, 5 and 6 May at the AUC School of Continuing Education from 9:30am until 6:30pm.

Back to the Cairo Opera House: Egypt’s iconic Omar Khairat will be performing on Wednesday, 10 and Thursday 11 May, starting 8pm. The concerts are expected to run through until 11pm at the historical venue’s Main Hall.

Who else has a 40-year roster of songs to choose from at a concert? Catch Amr Diabperforming some of his biggest hits — old and new — at AUC on Friday, 12 May. Tickets are available through Tazkarti.

Start training for your next half marathon: The TriFactory is hosting another edition of itsMadinaty Half Marathon on Friday, 9 June at Madinaty. You can sign up for the event through the TriFactory website.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng tells the story of a family drama in 1970s America. Lydia, the middle child of a second generation Chinese father and bona fide American mother is missing in Ohio at a time where racial discrimination was still rampant and mixed-race marriages were very rare. However, as the story progresses, we slowly see that the center of the narrative isn’t Lydia — instead, it is everything that has been kept under wraps and untold that slowly sees the light: Grievances between loved ones, a teenage daughter who has changed and disappeared without them noticing, a medical career that was deferred to raise a family, and a failed assimilation to America. The story also shows the struggles that the characters face as a result of pressure, cultural identity, career vs. motherhood, and peer pressure that mixed race children face in 1970s America. The third-person narrative reveals the dichotomy between what the character says and truly feels while the detailed descriptions pull the characters off the page making them relatable, despite the differences in time and place.

What the markets are doing on 26 April, 2023

The EGX30 fell 0.4% at today’s close on turnover of EGP 2.03 bn. Local investors were net buyers. The index is up 19.6% YTD.

In the green: Ibnsina Pharma (+4.3%), Mopco (+3.4%) and Abu Qir Fertilizers (+3.2%).

In the red: E-finance (-2.9%), CIRA Education (-2.8%) and Cleopatra Hospitals (-2.6%).

THE ENTERPRISE ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

APRIL

21-26 April (Friday-Wednesday): LaLiga Egypt Football Camp, Xanadu Hotel, Makadi Bay, Hurghada.

MAY

1 May (Monday): Labor Day.

1 May (Monday): Backstreet Boys at 7pm, ZED East, New Cairo.

4 May (Thursday): National holiday in observance of Labor Day (TBC).

6-20 May (Saturday-Saturday): Film Society Festival for Egyptian Cinema.

12-15 May (Friday-Monday): Egypt Fashion Week.

JUNE

10 June (Saturday): Thanaweya Amma examinations begin.

28 June-2 July (Wednesday-Sunday): Eid El Adha (TBC).

30 June (Friday): June 30 Revolution Day.

JULY

18 July (Tuesday): Islamic New Year.

20 July (Thursday): National holiday in observance of Islamic New Year (TBC).

23 July (Sunday): Revolution Day.

27 July (Thursday): National holiday in observance of Revolution Day.

SEPTEMBER

26 September (Tuesday): Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (TBC).

28 September (Thursday): National holiday in observance of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (TBC).

OCTOBER

6 October (Friday): Armed Forces Day.

13 October- 20 October (Friday-Friday): The sixth edition of El Gouna Film Festival (GFF).

EVENTS WITH NO SET DATE

2023: The inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Sections

About

Privacy & Support

Get EnterpriseAM daily