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Egyptian Culture Ministry files complaint against Netflix film ‘Queen Cleopatra’

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The Egyptian Ministry of Culture has submitted an official complaint to the country’s Public Prosecutor against global streaming platform, Netflix, over the controversial documentary film, “Queen Cleopatra” following the depiction of the legendary queen as a black woman.

In the complaint filed by the legal advisor of the Minister of Culture, Essam Refaat Khalaf, the ministry cited several violations by Netflix including disobeying a court order against releasing the film.

This filing is the first official legal action from the Egyptian government after the documentary prompted a backlash of criticism and consternation in the North African country, with the authorities claiming the film had distorted its history.

Both political and academic authorities in Egypt have insisted that Queen Cleopatra was ‘light-skinned, not black’, with the belief that the documentary was “promoting Afrocentric thinking by distorting and erasing the Egyptian identity.”

The ministry also alleged that Netflix had produced a historical documentary without obtaining the needed approvals from the Ministry of Antiquities and the Ministry of Culture pertaining the embodiment of a historical Egyptian figure like “Queen Cleopatra.”

“In addition to not getting the license to shoot a documentary that contains the biography of an historical Queen who belongs to the whole world not just Egypt, Egypt in return has the right to preserve the biography of this historical queen for the world, not just for Egypt,” part of the filing said.

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Survey ranks Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, South Africa among 15 ‘cheap countries’ for family trips

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A recent survey carried out by Insider Monkey, an investment website that tracks corporate insiders and hedge funds, has ranked Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco and South Africa among 15 “cheap countries” to visit with family.

The Insider Monkey’s affordable countries list features Egypt as the top cheapest country for family trips while Ethiopia is in fifth place on the survey report, with Morocco ranking in eighth position while South Africa comes in at 15th place.

Giving a breakdown of what it will cost for a family vacation in the listed countries, the report say a one week trip for two people would cost as little as $935 in the listed countries to visit.

According to the survey, the second cheapest country for family trips is India, while Serbia and Colombia are ranked third and fourth, respectively.

“Ethiopia is the fifth in the list, while Poland and Russia are the sixth,and seventh, respectively,” the report said.

“South Africa ranks 15th, behind Romania (14th), Hungary (13th), Panama (11th), Albania (10th), and Bulgaria (9th),” the report stated.

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Davido’s ‘Unavailable’ achieves milestone with 100 million views on YouTube, Spotify

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Nigeria’s Afrobeats sensation, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has landed another milestone after his hit single, “Unavailable’, surpassed 100 million streams on both YouTube and Spotify.

According to a release on Wednesday by his management team, the track which features South African artist, Musa Keys, also hit a major milestone as its music video crossed 100 million views on YouTube.

The hit track which was released on April 11, 2023, as part of Davido’s chart-topping album “Timeless”, grew to become the most streamed Afrobeats song of 2023 and received high praise, including being named by Rihanna as her favorite single of the year.

“The single, Unavailable, has also surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify to become Davido’s first single to achieve this feat,” the statement said.

“With the music video surpassing 100 million views, it becomes Davido’s fourth song to surpass the 100 million streams mark following his 2017 hit releases ‘If’, ‘Fall’, and ‘FIA’.

“Following the success of Unavailable, Davido released a remix EP that includes collaborations with Jamaican Dancehall star Sean Paul and American rapper Latto.

“Described by Rihanna as her favourite single of 2023, Davido’s Unavailable was the most streamed Afrobeats song released in 2023.

“Additionally, the single recently earned a SNEP Gold plaque after reaching 15 million streams in France, cementing its status as a global hit,” it added.

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