%% [[Beyonce]] %% # 🎞 Black is King (2020) **Summary**: Set in no specific time period, it tells the story of a young African prince (Folajomi Akinmurele) who is exiled from his kingdom after his father's death. As he grows into a man (Nyaniso Dzedze), he undergoes a journey of self-identity, using the guidance of his ancestor (Beyoncé), childhood love (Nandi Madida) and his own subconscious (Stephen Ojo) to reclaim his throne. The prince's journey acts as an allegory for the African diaspora's journey of discovering, reclaiming and celebrating their culture and heritage, which is echoed by the inclusion of spoken-word poetry that focuses on the question of black identity. - daddy song - First statement in rock temple abt not knowing who you are - king body - experiencing and surviving suffering makes you kind - Water poem - Middle passage - Brown skin girl - This is the main one. Before it starts, Beyonce says the name of the video and "they" means white ppl I assume - Spirit song - Hegel ;) - First credit song - First credits song is explicitly about blackness and mentions Malcom, Martin, and Angela, and is also a banger There are a couple of thematic lines: - Early stars song and king of the kingdom as a pair both about drawing on the past and tradition for identity and strength - Water songs are an the middle passage and retaining tradition w a naturalistic conception of ancestors