Disney
On July 29th Beyonce dropped the trailer to Black is King and of course the internet went into complete meltdown. Beyoncé is the queen of surprise drops and visual albums and Black is King marks her third. However, this time round Beyoncé gathered a lot more criticism from scholars on twitter.
‘Wakandafication’ one twitter user coined it. Jade Bentil is worth following — her takes are very interesting. I can’t lie, it took me a minute to actually wrap my head around the concept. At first I thought it was funny but I realised that if there was a term like Edward Said’s Orientalism that applied to Africa this would be it. Essentially people had an issue with Beyonce selling a mythical, exotic and generalised image of Africa for western consumption.
It made me wonder, as much as we say we need more representation, what does that actually mean and who has the right to tell what stories? I remember when Black Panther first came out a lot of African Americans felt hurt that Black British actors were taking roles they felt should be theirs. Others hit back by saying that African Americans act as though they have a dominant claim to the black experience. Being part of the diaspora, no matter where you are is a weird experience. You can feel as though your idea of home is always changing. In Britain most of us can trace our families back to Africa or the Caribbean. In America it’s a bit more complicated.
Beyoncé’s Black is King uncomplicates it. The visual album — or film at this point is another reimagining of The Lion King, the message is to come home to yourself. Oral tradition, folklore, the passing on of stories between generations is a huge part of African and Caribbean culture and Black is King is another narrative in the mix. The visuals are stunning and perfectly blend dance, poetry and tradition. Every last detail down to the hair and dress are elaborately curated. Several black creatives are on the credits; such as co-director Kwasi Fordjour, Shatta Wale, Yemi Alade, Nija, Kendrick Lamar, Warsan Shire and Yrsa Daley-Ward, to name a few. Even the synchronised swimmers are Afro-Jamaican, a sport with a low amount of black competitors
Despite this some people, such as singer Noname, have criticised the film for being ‘draped in black capitalism.’ Obviously no one is above criticism and that’s a good thing. Just as people have criticised storylines that revolve around black oppression the internet has proved Beyonce can get it too. Although the idea of black people being kings and queens does seem a bit fetishized nowadays it does fit with the plot of The Lion King.
However songs such as ‘Bigger’ make it clear that royalty is about more than wealth. It’s about legacies. ‘Life is your birthright, they hid that in the fine print’ hit different in the middle of pandemic where BAME communities are working on the frontline and where #BLM marches and conversations are taking off. I think the song encourages people to think about where black people have come but also where we’re going. ‘Coming home to yourself’ doesn’t have to be through Black is King but it’s an interesting place to start.