A decision to cast black actor Denzel Washington as the ancient Carthaginian general Hannibal in an upcoming Netflix film has sparked a small but heated debate in Tunisia, the military general’s birthplace.

After a similar controversy on race and representation in nearby Egypt over a Netflix docudrama about Cleopatra, Tunisian newspapers, social media and even the halls of parliament have seen discussion on the skin tone of the long-dead leader.

French-language Tunisian news outlet La Presse published an article saying the casting created “a historical error”, while on social media, some 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 Tunisian Ministry of Culture to “take action against the attempt to steal our history”.

Hannibal, born in Carthage, near modern-day Tunis, is considered by many to be one of history’s greatest military leaders. During the war against the Romans in 218BC, he led his troops and African war elephants across a high pass in the Alps to strike at Rome from the north.

After Washington’s role was announced by Netflix, Tunisian MP Yassine Mami questioned the Culture Minister, Hayet Ketat Guermazi, about the project in parliament.

“The ministry should take a position on the subject,” said Mami, who is also the president of the committee on tourism, culture, and services. “This is about defending Tunisian identity and listening to the reactions of civil society,” he said.