A piece discussing Beyonce's latest project, Black Is King. This piece was published on BlackWomenHeal.org on August 17th, 2020.
On July 31st, Beyonce Knowles-Carter shook up the world with the release of her film ‘Black Is King’. Inspired by Disney’s Lion King, the film tells the story of a young African king on his journey to self-discovery. In addition to personifying the lion we all know and love as Simba, the film brings Beyonce’s album, ‘The Gift’ to life.
The combination of music videos, fashion, dance, natural settings, and talent work together to reimagine the narrative of not only the Lion King but also African culture.
In an exclusive interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, Beyonce expressed her hopes for the film. “My hope for this film is that it shifts the global perception of the word black,” she says “Black is king means black is regal and rich in history, purpose, and lineage.”
However, Beyonce’s luxurious version of the classic film led to a major debate between members of the black diaspora. On one side, fans showered the film with praise as it illustrates a beautiful reclamation of black heritage. While others criticized the image of Africa that is depicted in the film and accused Beyonce of appropriating African Culture.
Regardless of your stance within this debate, it is important to highlight the common denominator within the discussion...the depiction of Africa and African culture in the United States. For years, American media outlets described and showcased Africa in a negative light. Whether it was through ignorant commercials, jokes featured in movies or coverage of the continent, and its many countries, American media’s misrepresentation of the continent led to the miseducation of Black Americans on the matter. Fortunately, over time, the portrayal of the continent and its culture slowly got better, specifically with the popularization of Afrobeats in music and the release of the 2018 Marvel film, Black Panther. This shift helped African Americans who had never traveled to their ancestral land understand that the continent is not filled with dirt roads and huts made out of clay and straw.
However, this shift led to an extreme satirized glorification of African cultures. Now, that does not take away from the beauty that lies in African cultures. However, it does feed into another form of budding ignorance amongst Black Americans. The theory that some call ‘Wakandafication’ creates a narrative that all African cultures are the same across the board, rather than acknowledging the 54 countries that make up the continent. Which in consequence is almost as problematic as the believing all Africans are poor.
Ultimately, the release of Beyonce’s Black Is King opened up the doors for a larger conversation surrounding the portrayal of African cultures in mainstream media. Despite the general debate within the Black community, I think we can all agree that the media’s portrayal of Africa is very polarized.