Dissect - BLACK IS KING by Beyonce (Part 4)

Episode Date: March 18, 2021

Our special mini-series on Beyonce’s BLACK IS KING continues with an examination of “Water,” “Brown Skin Girl,” and “Keys to the Kingdom.” This act of the film introduces the divine feminine, Nala, who heals Simba through her loving affirmation. Simba learns to give all of himself in marriage, symbolizing the ideal balance between divine masculine and feminine energy. Shop our limited merch for this series at http://shop.dissectpodcast.com. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @dissectpodcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From Spotify, this is Dissect. Long-form musical analysis broken into short, digestible episodes. I'm Cole Kushna. And I'm T.T. Shodia. Today we continue our six-part examination of Black is King by Beyonce. In our last episode, we followed Simba as he tried to cope with the death of his father. After Uncle Scar encouraged him to run away from his royal responsibility, Simba adopted the Hakuna Matata philosophy as he envisioned himself enjoying the American dream with an African twist.

However, after Simba grew into adulthood, his daydream turned into a nightmare, as Ja'are recalled Mufasa's warning to watch out for hyenas in disguise. When Simba woke up, he finally took the time for reflection as the song already led him back to the way of his ancestors in the heavens. Having re-established his connection to his royal identity, Simba and his peers in the diaspora heard Mufasa delivering an encouraging message from their African forefathers. I never left you. As Mufasa's voice fades out, the screen fades to black, then fades back in with a shot of Mufasa standing in a grassy savannah.

He's facing away from the camera towards a throne, which is currently vacant. The shot seems to remind us that while Simba has reconnected with his ancestors and placed the crown back on his head, he still needs to grow in certain aspects of his life before he can reclaim the throne in the pride lands. This need for further growth is highlighted by a voiceover that begins to play during the shot. You can't wear a crown with your head down. I can't say I believe in God and call myself a child of God and then not see myself as a God. That wouldn't make any sense. We hear an anonymous woman saying, you can't wear a crown with your head down.

This clever phrase combines an internal rhyme, crown, and down with the image of a crown falling off a king's head whenever he hangs his head in shame. In both the Lion King and Black is King, Simba began to feel ashamed about his identity after, after his Uncle Scar deceived him into believing that he's a murderer. Likewise, many African-American men have grown to be ashamed of their identity because Uncle Sam has historically deceived its citizens into believing that black men are violent predators. Given the historic injustice that has caused black men to hang their heads, the anonymous woman encourages black kings and queens to hold their heads up high, a posture of pride. This idea continues as the woman declares that her identity as a child of God

means that she should see herself as a God. Being a child of God seems to be influenced by the New Testament gospel accounts that claim that those who accepted Jesus as their king would become children of God. As we've seen throughout the film, the woman here takes this concept from the Christian tradition and blends it with concepts from Ifah and other African spiritual traditions. In many of these traditions, Africans are believed to be the descendants of kings and queens who became deities like the Eresha. This African ancestral worship is something that Black is King director, Quasi Forgeor, spoke about when we interviewed him.

Blackest King simply represents this idea that we are all royalty because we are a child of God. And we are descendants of our ancestors who have ascended to this place beyond us. and we are forever connected. Our ancestors, how they depicted their gods and how their gods appear to them, even what their gods looked like, they look at their gods as ancestors. So that because of that connection,

again, that makes us all gods. That makes us all kings and queens. This connection to ancestors is visually portrayed as the shot of Mufasa standing by the throne, cross dissolves into a shot of Mufasa and Simba, sitting down to play chess under the night sky. The shot recalls both the beginning of Find Your Way Back, when Mufasa first gave childhood Simba the gold crown king Chespe's, and the end of Mood Forever, where Simba dreamed of playing chess with his father at night. However, following the breakthrough of already, the current shot shows a silhouette of Simba wearing his crown on his head for the first time in the film.

This use of a silhouette while playing chess also draws our attention to the dark light duality between Simba's dark figure and the light from the large moon. were reminded of the moon being developed as a recurring motif throughout the film. We first saw a large moon when Beyonce and other women were depicted as ancestral lights in the desert during Find Your Way Back. Later after Simba ran away from home, we saw Simba's blue subconscious looking up at a large moon as Beyonce found him sitting on the hillside. Finally and all right, we saw Simba's blue subconscious dancing while surrounded by women wearing cat suits that were covered in a crescent moon pattern. When taken together, these previous scenes were. seemed to be drawing a connection between the moon and the illuminating presence of women. The connection between the moon and women is something that was highlighted by many ancient

cultures who noted that the monthly menstrual cycles of women mirror the monthly cycle of the moon. In recent years, practitioners of new age spirituality have advanced the idea that the moon is a primary source of divine feminine energy, which again connects back to the idea of women seeing themselves as gods. Because the moon's gravity, creates ocean tides, the diaspora-I-Fah traditions also associate the moon with the Eurasia Yamoja, who Beyonce seems to depict in several scenes in the film. Given all these connections, the shot of Mufasa and Simba playing chess by the light of an enormous moon seems to symbolize how the royal power of a king is sustained by the illuminating presence of women. It's fitting then

that the nighttime shot of the kings illuminated by the moon is immediately followed by a daytime shot of a black woman. She has pink hair and is wearing a pink dress as she stands on a hillside. The pink hair and dress seem to establish this woman as Nala, Simba's childhood friend who was first introduced wearing a pink dress and pink threads braided into her hair. As an adult, Nala no longer wears braids, but instead sports a short hairstyle that's more typically seen on black men. This hairstyle suggests that Nala represents a strong black woman who's fully embraced her African features, rejecting white European standards of beauty that exalt women with long and quote unquote good hair. Nala's use of a stereotypically masculine African hairstyle also seems to be

connected to the audio clip that we hear during this shot. I went my nephratiti chain every day. I never take it off. I know my history. I did the research. I'm a creator of all things. The anonymous woman tells us that she knows her identity as a woman. the creator because she has extensively researched her African history. As proof, she points out that she always wears a Nefertiti chain. Nefertiti is a famous Egyptian queen who lived more than a thousand years before Christ. She's remembered for both the political and spiritual transformation she helped bring to Egypt. On the spiritual side, Nefertiti and her husband, Pharaoh Akhenaten,

establish Atenism, the earliest known monotheistic religion that predates Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Similar to the Christian idea of Jesus being the light of the world and the son of righteousness, this ancient Egyptian spiritual tradition depicted God as the rays of sunlight who cares for all creatures by providing them food, water, light, and life. On the political side, many historians have concluded that Nefertiti was exalted for from the typical role of a royal wife to become a co-ruler alongside her husband.

This status of co-ruler can be seen an ancient Egyptian iconography that depicts Nefertiti to be a child of the one true God, and equal in stature to the Pharaoh. Nefertiti is also depicted riding a chariot like Pharaoh, destroying Egypt's enemies and transferring life from the sunlight deity to other creatures by way of the Egyptian enx symbol.

After her husband's death, Historians believe that Nefertiti took on a masculine name and ruled alone as the Egyptian pharaoh. Nefertiti's equality with male political leaders, thus mirrors Nala's haircut. Nefertiti's spiritual leadership toward the worship of the sun deity also connects to the idea of women reflecting the light of the sun, just like the moon. Finally, the image of Nefertiti giving life to all creatures through the Onc symbol connects to the idea that African women are the creators of all things. This role as creator was also highlighted by Beyonce's line about being a mother and wearing the ink chain on Mood Forever. This depiction of women

as givers of life is also implied when adult Nala is introduced standing in front of a tree, much like the previous song where Beyonce stood in front of a tree and dressed like Yomoja, the Orisha of motherhood. After showing Nala, the camera pans up to focus on the top of the tree where numerous leaves confirmed that the tree is alive. The film then cuts to a shot of a horse standing in front of a bare tree without any leaves. In the background, we see Nala walking down the hill toward the seemingly dead tree. The juxtaposition between the living tree and the dead tree seems to imply that all of creation is sustained by the life-giving presence of women.

Men, horses, and other creatures who are typically associated with physical strength are unable to restore themselves without the gentle care of women. Many times it's the women that reassemble us. A lot of my manhood training came from women. Men taught me some things, but women taught me a whole lot more. This anonymous man asserts that women most often teach boys how to become men and reassemble men whose childhood innocence had been broken by the harsh realities of the world. This pattern seems to foreshadow Nala's role as the person who will restore Simba

and help him grow into the throne left by his father. In addition to restoring Simba, Nala also seems to be on a quest to restore the Pride lands. From the Lion King film, we know that Scars disregard for the delicate balance of life, his lack of a queen, and his refusal to listen to the guidance from females, eventually led to environmental devastation. This devastation drove Nala to look for food and water outside the Pride lands. Here in Black as King, Nala's search for water is depicted by a blue plastic water jug that Nala holds as she walks over to the dead tree. We also recall Mufasa's funeral where Beyonce sang, I got the Nile running through my body. These lyrics suggest that Nala herself may be the source of the spiritual refreshment that Sima desperately needs. Nala's role as a

source of life-giving water is further emphasized when we realize that the name Nala means gift and Swahili, but also seems to be related to an Arabic name that means a drink of water. These implicit associations between Nala and water become quite apparent as the film cuts to a shot of the ocean, which is then followed by a shot of Simba's blue subconscious standing on the seashore. It's here that we hear another voiceover by Beyonce. You're swimming back to yourself. You'll meet yourself at the shore. This observation that Simba will meet himself on the shore after swimming back to himself

recalls the very first voiceover of the film. There, Beyonce held baby Simba on the shores of the spiritual realm and said, You are welcome to come home to yourself. Beyonce also anointed childhood Simba as king after saying, One day, you'll meet yourself back where you started, but stronger. The idea of Simba swimming away from himself was later established when Kendrick Lamar rapped. One time I took a swim in the Nile. I swam the whole way.

I didn't turn around. After growing strong enough to go against the current, Simba has finally turned around and begun to swim back to the shores of the spiritual realm from which he came. He's starting to return back to himself, on his way to completing the circle of life journey. Fittingly, as we listen to the voiceover about Simba swimming back to himself, we see Simba's blue subconscious holding a large Calabash bull walking into the ocean waves. As we noted in the first episode, calabash bulls are made from a type of thick, waterproof gourd fruit

that African ancestors cultivated thousands of years ago in order to make containers. In addition to their use as food containers, people throughout the African continent use calabashes to carry drinking water from rivers and streams back to their homes. This practice of carrying drinking water in calabashes also mirrors the opening scene of Black as King, where the large calabash that Simba's subconscious held is later used to carry holy water for Simba's baptism. This subtle nod to depictions of Christian ceremonial practices continue to the into the next two shots, where we see both the black man who held a censor and the black woman

who held a calabash bowl and Simba's baptism on the beach and bigger. These visual callbacks to the shores of the spiritual realm are scored by Beyonce's voiceover, which reflects on the legacy of these African ancestors to whom the coast belongs. The coast belongs to our ancestors. We orbit easy. The fact that the African coast belongs to the African ancestors seems to further explain why Simba will meet himself at the shore. Just like the Lion King film, whenever Simba goes to the shore and looks at his reflection in the water, he'll see that his ancestors live inside him. At the same time, the reminder of who truly owns the coast seems to address the fact that European explorers and slave traders routinely established colonies and trading posts along the African

coast, beginning with the Portuguese in the 1400s. Reclaiming the African coast is therefore an important part of welcoming all Africans in the diaspora to come home to themselves. Beyonce then affirms the celestial origins of black people by saying, We orbit, make joy look easy. This line suggests that African ancestors are like stars around which their descendants orbit. The smooth and perpetual motion of planets in motion also serves as an image for how black joy empowers black people to constantly move forward despite the harsh conditions we've endured.

Cutless in Calabash. Earth and womb. Lost languages spill out of our mouths. As the film cuts to a shot of a woman looking out to sea while holding a Calabash bull on her head, the voiceover continues with Beyonce now referencing Calabash by name alongside the word cutlass. In Caribbean English, a cutlass refers to a machete or other long knives used to cut hard plant material like Calabash fruit. The use of cutlasses to harvest fruit would seem to connect to the words earth and womb, since the phrase fruit of the earth refers to the offspring of a plant,

and the phrase fruit of the womb refers to the offspring of a woman. We should also note that the word cutlist was originally used in the 1960s to refer to the type of sword that was the weapon of choice for the sailors who colonized the African coast and forced African people onto slave trading ships. This use of cutlasses to enslave Africans thus sets up Beyonce's fire. final line, lost languages spill from our mouths. Beyonce here seems to be referencing the native languages that African people lost when they're taken from the coast and sold into slavery by Arabs in the Middle East and Europeans in the

West. As we hear these words, we see Beyonce floating in the middle of the ocean while wearing the same white dress that she wore when she baptized and anointed Simba on the shores of the spiritual world in bigger. Beyonce holds her arms out in a position that seems to remind us of Jesus hanging on the cross as he was unjustly executed by sword-wielding soldiers of the European Empire, which had colonized Jesus' homeland. Beyoncé's eyes are closed as if sleeping. This image of Beyonce resting peacefully at sea reminds us of the enslaved Africans who were thrown into the sea after they died on board ships sailing through the Middle Passage.

However, this morbid history is not the final statement on the significance of water. Water signifies life, water signifies purity, water signifies hope, and water signifies the ability to be reborn. Combined with Beyonce's voiceover that used water as a symbol for death, the voicemover from this anonymous man uses water as a symbol for life. This juxtaposition again highlights the theme of water duality we've seen throughout the film. Something director Quasi Forgera shed light on in our conversation. with him. You know, I feel like Water is probably the most powerful element in this world. It represents so many things, and especially as it pertains to this duality that we speak of in the film. I think that there is it being something as simple as renewal, but then also being this

very aggressive force that could strangle you. It also represents a level of loss. In addition to completing the life-death duality of water, the anonymous man goes on to say that water symbolizes purity. This is likely a reference to various forms of ritual purity often achieved by ceremonial water immersion, such as baptism in the Christian tradition. In addition to purification, Christian baptism is rooted in the biblical usage of the sea as a symbol for the grave. Hence the baptism of a new baby or new convert is meant to represent how that person's old self is dead and buried with Jesus. so that they can be resurrected into a new self that's able to live like Jesus. This idea thus points back to the image of Beyonce floating like a crucified Jesus in the ocean. Death and resurrection also points forward to the final line of the voiceover,

where the man says that water symbolizes rebirth. The idea of being born again by means of water seems to reference the gospel according to John. It's there that Jesus explains the spiritual ramifications of baptism, saying, quote, A person cannot enter the kingdom of God unless that person is born again of water and the spirit. By analogy to this teaching of Jesus, Simbel will never be able to return to the kingdom that belongs to God and to his ancestors, unless he's reborn into the baptismal state from which

his life began. As we hear the man referred to this concept of rebirth, the camera cuts to a shot of plants and flowers in a large basket. Here we should again note that within the teachings of Jesus, seed-bearing plants are yet another metaphor used for Jesus' death and resurrection. Just before Jesus is arrested and crucified, the gospel according to John, describes Jesus prophesying about what's about to happen, saying, quote, a seed will remain alone unless it falls into the earth and dies. However, if it dies, it will bear much fruit. This idea of a seed being buried in the ground like a human body and then

multiplying through fruit of the earth or fruit of the womb, reminds us of Jay's verse in Mood Forever. It was there, Jay said, real kings don't die, we multiply. This multiplication is exactly what Mufasa and all the great kings have achieved by partnering with the mothers and great queens of the past, who then gave birth to their descendants. Fittingly, as the shot of the basket of plants and flowers zooms out, we see that the basket is being held by a woman in a pink dress, which is a typical wardrobe of Nala. This reference to Nala holding a basket of flowering plants seems to foreshadow how Simba's ego needs to die so that he can become the kind of husband that Nala deserves and the kind

of father who will be able to raise the next generation of kings and queens. As the shot continues to zoom out, we see that Beyonce is the woman wearing the pink dress. Beyonce's adoption of Nala's typical wardrobe seems to further establish that Nala is an archetype for strong black women whose presence brings forth life. As we begin to hear music, the shot of Beyonce in a pink dress seems to signal that she'll be singing from Nala's perspective on Black is King's next song, Water. Water was produced by P.J.2 and Beyonce. The song features vocals from Beyonce and Farrell, alongside an artist named Solitiel, who is from the Central African country of Cameroon.

As we've discussed now several times in this series, Water features the four on the floor kick drum paired with a syncopated clave rhythm. First, let's isolate that steady kick drum pulse. And now on top of this, we get various percussion instruments playing syncopated or offbeat rhythms, creating complex, polyrhythmic texture. But before the kick drum enters water and the song explodes, the track begins with a with solid teal sitting on the seashore singing the opening chorus. The chorus describes a man pursuing a woman, meeting her by a river and asking to drink from her water. The man then proposes that they dance by the river until the noon sun dries up the remaining water.

This interaction seems to be implicitly acknowledging the fact that. that carrying drinking water is a central part of life for many people in sub-Saharan Africa. A 2010 study of 25 African countries in sub-Saharan Africa found that 75% of the population did not have running water where they lived. In some areas, the closest source of water might be a river or stream that requires a person to walk over an hour round trip. The same study found that in 71% of households, the task of carrying water was given to women or girls, which further exacerbates gender inequality and education and paid work. Because much of sub-Saharan Africa experiences long seasons without rain, these rivers often dry up during the hotter

times of the year, forcing women throughout these areas to walk even farther in search of diminishing water supplies. Given this context and the narrative of Black is King up until this point, waters hook about a man asking for water from a woman seems to highlight the immaturity of Simba and those like him when it comes to romantic love. While Sulla's Seale asking for a woman's water might be a recognition of the need for a feminine presence to restore the balance required to thrive. He is still seeking to take something rather than offering to give. This is in opposition to Mufasa's words that true king search for what they can give, not what they can take. Feral Williams enters the track singing,

Yes, we can make it far, don't need inflatables. That's what the waves are for. What are you waiting for? These words seem to express the idea of trusting in water's divine ability to restore and guide us on our journeys. As Farrell sings this refrain, we see him in a hilly savannah where we saw Simba's subconscious during Nile, and Nala just before the current song. Here in the savannah, Farrell performs while standing on a large stage made of hundreds of blue plastic water jugs, which appear to be the same type of water jug that Nala was holding earlier when walking toward the dead tree. The structured placement of water jugs within a natural environment seems to be inspired by the work of Ghanaian installation artist Sergei Atuqqqqqqqlati, who creates masks and sculptures from yellow, white, and blue jugs known as Kufor gallons. These jugs were originally used to hold cooking oil, but were later named after John Kufor, who was the president of Ghana when a countrywide water shortage led to Ghanaians repurposing the jugs to carry water.

After the water supply stabilized, many Ghanaians discarded old Kufour gallons, which led to increasing levels of plastic waste and pollution. In order to raise awareness about this kind of waste and pollution, Sergei repurposes these materials in art in a method he calls Afro-Gallonism. This idea of bringing new life to things that are otherwise dead continues as water resumes with an extended bridge. Throughout water, Beyonce is seen carrying various cats. calabash bowls and baskets on her head in the same way that the women in sub-Saharan Africa often carry large bowls of water back home. In our conversation with Black as King stylist, Zarina Acres, these looks were created to honor the art of water collecting in Africa.

Some of our initial conversations, or my initial conversation with Beyonce, around water is wanting this kind of procession of women and to highlight the act, the very necessary act of water collection and it being a necessity for many people and kind of turning that into art and highlighting that in a way that was beautiful. That's kind of the pillar scene is actually the line of women and these ambri in their dresses kind of go from dark to light in the river and it kind of mimicking the fluidity and the curves of the river bend. This propensity of women to make things beautiful

is also captured by a shot of Beyonce lying in a wooden boat, that is covered in flowers. We saw the same exact shot before Nile, as Simba was sitting in the grass of the same hilly savannah that we see here in water. At the time, we suggested that the boat was inspired by Viking funeral boats that were historically used to bury the dead. Fittingly, the connection between boats and the death of enslaved Africans during the journey to the Americas is something we explored earlier, when Beyoncé was in the Christ's pose floating in the ocean prior to the current song. We can now recognize that the flowers in the boat are a symbol for how women, are able to bring life and beauty up from a place where there would otherwise only be dead trees

and dead people. The motifs of flowers and trees continue to show up in the visuals for water, as we see Nala riding her horse away from the dead tree. The film then cuts to a scene of Beyonce and seven other women who are all wearing various shades of pink dresses like Nala's. Seeing so many women in different shades of pink seems to confirm the idea that Nala is an archetype for women with all shades of brown skin whose presence, like water, brings life to the world. Fittingly, the next shot shows Beyonce and the other women standing single file in a stream of water running through the woods. Each woman carries a large basket of flowers on her head, highlighting how the women who carry water throughout Africa are really carrying life to everyone on the continent.

This shot of women standing in line holding large baskets above their heads also recalls Black as King's opening scene on the beach. There, Beyonce carried Baby Simba toward the waters of baptism as she walked by a line of women wearing white as they held baskets of flowers on their head. The connection between these two scenes suggest that Nala, like so many other black women in her family line, is the one whose love can provide the spiritual refreshment needed for Simba's rebirth and return to the state of baptismal purity. We also recognize that this metaphor of a woman's love bringing new life to humans, like water brings forth flowers, was actually foreshadowed during bigger.

There, Beyonce sang, Let love be the water. I pour into you and you pour into me. There ain't no drought here. Bloom into our actual powers. Also in the previous song already, we saw Beyonce and other women in crescent moon body suits forming a human lotus flower,

which in ancient Egypt was thought to resurrect the dead. This focus on the elements needed for plants and humans to bloom into their power leads to Beyonce's verse on water. Beyonce sings, I'll bring you back the moon just so we got all night. I'll bring the sun down too, so I can show you the light. Here we again get the motif of women illuminating the challenges and issues that men face,

just like the moon reflecting the light of the sun. We should also note that when water and air are present, plants will naturally convert light energy into chemical energy through a process called photosynthesis. Plants are then able to transfer this chemical energy to any human who eats fruit from the plant, enabling humans to live and move. Combined with the IFAA concept of ASE, as power or spiritual energy, plants reveal how women are charged by the divine light symbolized by the moon and sun, which then enables women to transfer life-giving energy to the men and boys

they love. By focusing on her power to give light to a man, Beyonce's verse contrasts with Solitiel's chorus focused on taking water from a woman. Despite the fact that her man has not yet learned to embody the characteristics of a true king or reflect the light-giving traits of a queen, Beyonce still expresses unwavering commitment as she sings, trust me, if you ever leave, I'll be right by your side. For you, I will ride. As water comes to its conclusion, we see one of the more iconic shots of the entire film. In front of Royal Purple Drapes,

Beyonce stands on top of a gigantic rolling ladder wearing elbow-length opera gloves or corset and 30-foot-long braids that hang down to the floor below. It's an image that most likely references the story of Rapunzel, an 1812 German fairy tale that was recently adapted into Disney's 2010 movie, Tangled. In Disney's version of the story, Rapunzel's hair has the power to heal those who are sick and reverse the aging process. This healing power was originally contained in a magical golden flower that grew after a single drop of sunlight came down from the heavens. When the queen of a nearby kingdom almost dies

of sickness during pregnancy, she's given a soup containing the magical, golden flower. The queen fully recovers and later gives birth to Princess Rapunzel, whose hair received the flower's healing process while in her mother's womb. A villainous old woman kidnaps baby Rapunzel and locks her in a tall tower so she can use Rapunzel's hair to keep herself young. After Rapunzel's hair grew long, she would let it down from the tower to the ground so the old woman can climb up into the tower. Years later, after the old woman stabbed the man who Rapunzel loved, the man cut off Rapunzel's hair just before he died,

which prevented Rapunzel from healing him, but it also caused the old woman to quickly age into dust. As Rapunzel cried over her man's sacrificial love, a single tear drop containing the flower's healing power fell on the man's cheek and brought him back to life. Then, after leaving

behind his life of crime, receiving a pardon and waiting many years, the former thief married Rapunzel and became a member of the royal family. Disney's version of Rapunzel's story clearly has numerous connections to Black as King. The healing power of Rapunzel's hair is quite similar to the fountain of youth that was said to be running through Beyonce's body on the song Now. The magical flower grown from sunlight reminds us of photosynthesis and all the flower symbolism that we saw throughout the song Water. The former thief is an archetype for men who search for what they can take.

It's also illustrating that a woman's love can help a fatherless man, mature into a true king. Most notably, Disney's version of Rapunzel is built around the motif of light from the sun transferring to the fruit of a woman's womb and ultimately being used to resurrect a man from the dead. So Rapunzel's story mirrors the Egyptian iconography of Queen Nefertiti transferring life to all creation through the divine sunlight of Aten. Rapunzel's story also mirrors the gospel accounts where Jesus is the light of God who came down from the heavens through Mary's womb. Jesus would then go on to cry tears for his loved ones until his resurrection from the dead

granted new life to all creation, pardon all past wrongdoing, and allowed a former thief to enter the kingdom of God. However, despite the existence of these ancient truths, Rapunzel's story is yet another example of Western culture appropriating African culture and Christian symbols in a way that glorifies white European society and beauty standards. Consequently, as we see Beyonce wearing European-style opera gloves in a corset, we see that her quintessentially African braids subvert the Western preference for long, blonde, quote-unquote, good hair. Beyonce's 30-foot braids affirm that black women have more than enough powers to heal the wounds of black men

and resurrect them from spiritual death. Fittingly, the shot of Beyonce in the 30-foot braids is soon followed by a voiceover that discusses the psychological wounds that have been inflicted upon black men. Black men especially, we're told not to love ourselves. We're told that I'm supposed to hate you. Because the world will always tell you that's just something else. That's too dark, too short, whatever. We need to show black men and women are emotional,

are strong, are smart, intuitive. This anonymous man reflects on the ways that black men in America and throughout the diaspora are routinely put down by society, given messages of unworthiness, pitted against one another, and stereotyped as violent criminals. In order to break from these stereotypes, the man suggests that we need to see more examples of emotional, strong, smart, intuitive black men and women represented in the media and in real life. During this dialogue, we see seven black men sitting next to the water on a rocky shore

as they wear matching red suits and red du regs. Seeing black men wearing red suits, recalls Scars hyena henchmen who led childhood civil, Simba astray and killed Simba's father. Up until this point in the film, we might have simply written off Scars henchmen as violent criminals. This scene forces us to stop and reflect on how their past wrongdoing, specifically the murder of another black man, is a symptom of the psychological wounds inflicted by Uncle Sam and all other Western institutions to teach black men to hate themselves. The effect of Uncle Sam on African Americans seems to be highlighted by each of the men wearing a do-rag. For decades, police officers, school administrators, and other

white Americans have stereotyped African Americans wearing du rags by associating that style with thieves and criminals. But within the context of Black as King, the du rag was reclaimed as a crown during the previous song already. It was there that an African American man wore a golden du rag while we heard Bufasa's loving encouragement to remember who you are. Within the Lion King film, Wufasa's encouraging message was heard after Simba went to look at his reflection in the water. And so as we see this group of African-American men in red suits and du rags returning to the shores of their ancestors, we recognize that they have just begun to recover their identity as kings. The fact that there are seven men in this shot and seven women in pink dresses throughout water seems to suggest that

these men have come to the water looking for the women. Fittingly, the shots of these men are immediately followed by a nighttime shot of Simba sitting on a bench partially submerged in a misty body of water. Simba holds his head down to look at his reflection, while we see the light of the moon reflecting off the water's surface behind him. The frame then widens to show Nala wearing a pink dress standing by the edge of the water. The film then cuts to an image of childhood Simba and Nala walking in circles around a fountain filled with water and flower petals. The film then cuts back and forth between these shots of Simba and Nala as children and adult Simba Nala reuniting in a loving embrace. The juxtaposition of these shots seem to confirm that Simba and Nala's reunion and

upcoming marriage are meant to preserve the delicate balance in the circle of life. We have always been wonderful. I see us reflected in the world's most heavenly things. Black is king. Here, Beyonce uses the cinematic representation of Simba and Nala to assert that black men and women have always been wonderful. By saying, I see us reflected in the world's most heavenly things, Beyonce alludes to the motif of heavenly bodies that we've explored with the sun and moon symbolism and water,

the idea of African ancestors looking down from the stars and find your way back, and Beyonce's very first words of the film, Bless the Body, Born Celestial. This idea that black people come from the heavens and return to the heavens is itself an assertion that black people are children of God. It's this divine identity that gives black people their royal status and dismantles the revisionist histories that white supremacists used to justify slavery and colonialism. Having dismantled this history, Black as King provides us with allusions to the rich history, art, innovations, and cultures across the African continent and diaspora. Whether that be by highlighting the astronomical discoveries of the Dogan people,

the spiritual wisdom of the Yerba, or the valor of the Zulu. Beyonce was vocal about this intention of the film to highlight and celebrate the true histories and identities of black people. We recall Beyonce's Instagram posts that accompanied the release, quote, I believe that when black people tell our own stories,

we can shift the axis of the world and tell our real history of generational wealth and richness of soul that are not told in our history books. So Beyonce punctuates her spoken word interlude with the declaration and thesis of the film

that black is king, bestowing a title of royalty on not only our protagonist, Simba, but on all black people. This is the culmination of the core messages we've heard throughout the film. You are welcome to come home to yourself. Remember who you are and find your way back. This moment, the realization that black people share in intrinsic royalty, power,

and in Beyonce's words, richness of soul, is the key message Simba and her wider black audience are encouraged to return to. As Simba stands up and looks Nala in the eyes, we understand this to be. be the moment of his own rebirth. No longer holding his head down, he can now begin his process of return. That's right after the break. Welcome back to dissect. Before the break, we discussed water, which reintroduced us to Simba's childhood friend Nala. While Nala initially ventured from Pride lands in search of water and aid, she ultimately became Simba's drink of water, who spiritually refreshed him, giving him the reminder of his people and his true identity as king. Water ended with Nala and Simba's reunion as we heard Beyonce say,

We have always been wonderful. I see us reflected in the world's most heavenly things. Black is king. After this declaration, the setting changes. Now we're outside of an apartment complex in daylight, where we see a black pre-teen girl wearing a teal dress and yellow ribbon in her hair walk along the sidewalk. This girl will serve as the main character for this chapter,

as we take a step back from the story of Simba falling in love with Nala in order to reflect on the universal significance of a black woman being recognized for her beauty. We were beauty before they knew what beauty was. Beyonce asserts that black people have been beautiful long before an unnamed they knew what beauty was. While Beyonce doesn't explain who they refers to, we should recall that she also alluded to an unnamed they on bigger. There she held Simba and said, you are a part of something way bigger, bigger than you, bigger than we, bigger than the picture they framed us to see. This idea of unnamed people reframing a picture seems to mirror the idea of people writing revisionist histories about Africa.

It seems most likely that the unnamed they refers to white supremacists who have tried to steal the royal identity that rightfully belongs to each black person from the moment of their birth. As we watch the black girl in the teal dress walking through the apartment complex, we recognize that one of the most significant things that white supremacists have stolen is the appreciation of the inherent beauty within dark-skinned girls. Through their control of civic institutions and mass media, white supremacists have propagated their Eurocentric standards of beauty to cultures across the world. This propaganda has left countless women and girls of color thinking they'll be more beautiful if they look more like white Europeans.

This kind of colorism manifests itself in many ways throughout history. Specifically in the black community, features that are closer to stereotypically white features are considered more desirable, including a lighter complexion, looser hair curl patterns, smaller noses and thinner lips. These subjective beauty preferences eliminate darker-skinned people from the possibility of being perceived as beautiful,

inflicting deep psychological wounds upon young black girl. By saying we were beauty before they knew what beauty was, Beyonce seems to be passing along historical perspective, encouragement, and joy from black mother to black daughter. In the film, we see this generational transfer take place in the form of a hand-clapping game that a grandmother teaches the girl with the yellow ribbon in her hair as the two sit on a couch. We then see Beyonce and her daughter Blue Ivy sitting on a dock

performing a slightly more complicated clapping routine. Finally, we see five dark-skinned black girls and one dark-skinned South Asian girl teaching a hand-clapping game to each other. Hand-clapping games are children's games that involve cooperating with a partner or group to rhythmically clap along with a rhyme. Common hand-clapping games in the African-American community include Miss Mary Mac, Jigolo, and Down-Down Baby. Although some may be quick to dismiss what appears to be a simple children's pastime. No musicologist Kyra Gaunt argues that historically, game songs have been a vital resource for black girls to teach and learn from one another. Quote, games are a way for black girls to learn how social relationships are negotiated within America's racialized and sexist map of reality.

For a post-slave population that was once considered three-fifths human, for whom reading and writing was illegal or access to literacy was excluded, these games helped African-Americans survive circumstances that were anything but fun for girls and women, unquote. This focus on black girls learning to navigate social relationships in Western Americanized cultures becomes readily apparent as we see the young girl in the teal dress walk into a grand ballroom. Inside, black women dressed in ball gowns and white opera gloves stands seemingly frozen in time. The girl holds a small bouquet of flowers and examines the beauty of the women as Beyonce's daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, and artist St. John,

sings the opening notes of Brown Skin Girl. The unrefined girl, the skin your sacoose, the best thing in your love, you never charged you for anybody else in a song brown skin girl. The unrefined acapella accompanied by only hand clapping

evokes the hand clapping games of black children. Lyrically, the intro encapsulates the intention of the song to directly affirm and celebrate the beach beauty of darker skin girls and women. Blue Ivy and St. John sing, brown skin girl, your skin just like pearls. Best thing in the world, I'd never trade you for anybody else. These lyrics directly equate brown skin to pearls, which have been valued as precious gemstones across many cultures for centuries. While pearls are most commonly seen as round white objects, natural pearls come in a wide

variety of shapes and colors. Natural pearls are extremely rare, making them a highly valued symbol of natural beauty and femininity, just like girls with brown skin. We should also note that pearls are created inside sea creatures called mollus. The creation of pearls is actually a defense mechanism that happens when mollus coat a small foreign object with a substance called Naker to prevent irritation. The comparison to pearls then builds upon the motif of water and also reveals how black women are able to create beauty out of something that previously caused them pain. As the intro fades and then progresses into the song's first verse, the hand-clapping rhythms are transformed into a complex polyrhythmic texture, a hallmark of African music.

She never dream forever be nobody wifey. She won't I'm not pretty much Polyrhythm is when two or more distinct rhythms are played simultaneously. We'll showcase each rhythmic element here in Brownskin Girl in order to demonstrate how these polyrhythms are created. First we start with the shaker playing a very simple, straightforward rhythm. Next we add a sparse conga drum, which plays a syncopated rhythm accenting the upbeat.

We then get a brush playing a clave rhythm, utilizing quarter-note triplet. Finally, we have rim shots playing a busy rhythmic pattern, completing the texture. As he performs, the camera closes in on five women behind him. These women are wearing boxy tweed suits and ties, donning a more androgyrogyneous look, complementing the classic femininity of the ballroom dancers. One of the women has albinism, a condition in which the body produces little to no melanin, making her hair and skin really light. To this day, albinism has led to persecution or even death in some African cultures, which

believe that the body parts of people with albinism have magical powers. By representing a broad range of African people, Beyonce shows that those with albinism are loved too, regardless of their condition, that they are just as black as darker skin people. In addition to the shots of these girls with WizKid, we also see several shots of Beyonce posing and dancing next to a body of water dressed in a yellow gown and matching headpiece. As we discussed in our first episode, this all-yellow attire seems to be inspired by artistic depictions of Oshu, the Eresha of rivers, femininity, beauty, and love. As the sister of Yamoja and the protector of children, Oshun's presence here seems to offer beauty to brown-skinned girls as a form of protection,

much like the pearls that come from Yamoja's oceans. As the song's chorus concludes, the music comes to a stop as we watch the women dressed in white gowns process into a ballroom. It's here that an announcement is made over a loudspeaker. And now, introducing the debutitants and their bows. As we hear the announcement, it becomes clear that the women dressed in ball gowns are participating in a debutante ball. Debutante is a French word used in 19th century, England, to refer to balls that were rites of passage for teenage girls, making their debut into the upper echelons of society. The original purpose of a debutante ball was to formally present young women who are ready for marriage to success. because they had reached maturity. In the early 20th century, debutante balls became popular in the

United States, specifically amongst wealthy white elites. Segregation barred black girls from participating in white society's debutante balls, so black civic organizations, fraternities, and sororities hosted their own debutante balls with the intent to showcase the achievements and beauty of the young black women in their communities. According to historian Mia Carey, quote, In the eyes of national consumer and popular culture, upon puberty, the black girl moved instantly from child status to an image of either the promiscuous, enticing, and sexually threatening Jezebel, or the unattractive, overweight, asexual mammy. However, the image of a debutante, clothes and white and looking regal, created a different narrative of black girlhood. The debutante's

beauty, innocence, and femininity, all characteristics not usually ascribed to black girls and women, made her a source of racial pride because they countered the notion that black women and girls were unattractive, unrefined, and hypersexual, unquote. Although black debutante balls countered racist stereotypes, in the early 20th century, they often still excluded darker-skinned women. Lighter-skinned black women were often given preferential treatment and afforded more sponsorships and opportunities to become debutants. With this historical context in mind, it becomes clear why,

showcases these darker-skinned women as debutants. Like with so many other moments in Black as King, the visuals in Brown-Skin Girl were meant to challenge the stereotypes of black culture, and in this case, black women specifically. These elegant women dancing in satin gowns also resemble classic waltzing scenes from Disney films like Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast. While Black as King was released on Disney's platform, this enchanting ballroom scene could be a subtle indictment of Disney's historical lack of representation of black women.

After we watch the presentations of the debutantes, the scene shifts to a dimly lit portrait studio, where we see an ensemble of black women dressed in elegant, classic ball gowns. The lighter-skinned Beyoncé and blue ivy sit in the background, while front and center sits Beyonce's former Destiny's child bandmate, Kelly Rowland. She's wearing vintage lingerie to reveal her dark skin legs which appear, lustrous, reflecting light as if they were made of pearls or gold. We watch these women all turn their heads in slow motion to look at the camera as if posing for a portrait. This posed portrait thus signals the beginning of Beyonce's verse.

Beyonce opens like a trophy when Naomi's walking. She needn't ask her for that pretty dark skin. Pretty like Loupito when the camera's closing. Drip broke to levy when my kill is rolling. I think tonight she might be Beyonce opens her first verse by shouting out three of the entertainment industry's most influential dark-skinned women. First, she sings, pose like a trophy when Naomi's walk in. She need an Oscar for that pretty dark skin. On screen, we see none other than black British supermodel standing next to Beyonce, posing in a hooded, pumpkin-colored gown with her hand on her hip. Naomi Campbell is heralded as one of the world's first supermodels having graced the country. cover of over 500 magazines. She was the first black model to appear on the covers of top

magazines including Time and British Vogue. For decades, Naomi has fought against discrimination and pay disparity in the fashion industry and urge for more representation of racially diverse models. By comparing Naomi to a trophy and saying she needs an Oscar, Beyonce seems to be likening her to the Golden Oscar trophy itself. In addition to Pearls, Beyonce asserts that brown skin is beautiful, lustrous, and valuable as gold. This line about the Oscar Award then sets up the following line. Pretty like Lupita when the cameras close in. Beyonce is referring to the Oscar Award winning Kenyan actress Lupita Nyongo,

best known for her roles in 12 years a slave, us, and Black Panther. Lupita has long been vocal about her journey to find self-worth amiss colorism, sharing her story in a powerful speech at Essence Fest 2014. I remember a time when I too felt unbeautiful. I put on the TV and only saw pale skin. I got teased and taunted about my night-shaded skin. And my one prayer to God, the miracle worker, was that I would wake up light as skinned.

And every day I experienced the same disappointment of being just as dark as I had been the day before. And then, Alec Wek. A flower couldn't help, but bloom inside me. When I saw Alec, I inadvertently saw a reflection of myself that I could not deny. In Brownskin Girl, we see Lupita standing in front of a mirror surrounded by flower blossoms as she smiles and mouths the very line that mentions her name. Having grown to accept herself, she is now an inspiration to young women everywhere.

In addition to her influential films, Lupita also wrote her story into a semi-autobiographical children's book called Sue We, which is about a black girl who learns to love her dark skin. Beyonce then continues her verse singing, Drip broke the levy when Mike Kelly's roll in. This clever play on words is a shout out to Kelly Rowland, who we saw introduced earlier on screen. Drip describes someone wearing large, shiny diamond jewelry. If the diamonds cover the entire surface of the jewelry, the drip has turned to. into a flood. And so by saying drip broke the levee, Beyonce is asserting that, in addition to pearls and gold, being covered in brown skin is as beautiful, lustrous, and valuable as diamonds. Much like the earlier portrait where Beyonce sat in back and let Kelly sit in the front, Beyonce here is subverting

Western society's tendency to exalt Beyonce as the lighter-skinned black woman, while devaluing the beauty of her darker skin bandmate. Living in the shadow of Beyonce is something that Kelly openly discussed when she encouraged an aspiring singer on the show, The Voice. Can you imagine what it's like being in a group with Beyonce? I would just torture myself in my head like, well, I can't wear this dress because they're going to say it's like B or I can't have a song like that because it sounds too much like B. They're going to compare anyways. I would be lying. I said, no, it's never bothered me. That's bull. There was a whole decade, if I'm being completely honest, decades.

that it was like the elephant in the room, but the thing that was constantly being on my shoulder. It was these comparisons to lighter-skinned Beyonce that left Roland feeling insecure for years. However, a conversation with a certain someone eventually changed how she felt about herself. But I didn't embrace just, you know, my chocolate lifestyle, just being a chocolate, lovely brown-skinned girl

and being proud of that. And I remember Tina knows, B's mom, I remember being out in the sun and I was trying to show myself from the sun and she said, are you crazy? She said, you are absolutely gorgeous and just told me how beautiful I was and how rare chocolate is and how gorgeous the skin is and all of this stuff. And I was just like, yeah, like a light went off. You know what I mean? And so between her and my mother and then me sitting out in the sun a little more just to be a little bit more chocolate. Yeah, you just embrace it.

You embrace everything that you are as a woman. even your flaws too. And those things that you want to fix in, you work at making them better. Fittingly, it was Beyonce's mother, Tina Noles Lawson, who passed down the wisdom and affirmation that enabled Kelly to see the rare beauty of dark complexions. Beyonce follows the example of her mother as she goes on to uplift other dark-skinned girls in the remainder of the second verse. Kelly's rolling. I think tonight she might pray her bright.

Melanin too dark to throw her shirt. Beyonce. Beyonce sings, too dark to throw her shade. Melanin is the natural pigment that gives color to most organisms and is more prevalent in people who have darker skin. The phrase throw shade is slang for insulting someone. And as we've already noted,

darker skin girls have been subject to insults and discrimination throughout history. But Beyonce turns the term throw shade around by asserting that darker skin matches the color of the shadows and acts like a protective layer against any shade, similar to the protective coating that creates pearls. Beyonce then ends the verse comparing dark skin to 24-carat gold, which is nearly 100% pure gold with no other metals mixed in. This statement recognizes the rare value contained in girls whose heritage is nearly 100%

pure African. After Beyonce's verse, the scene shifts, and we now see images of everyday girls and women holding bouquets of flowers. Among these images is the side profile of a woman of South Asian descent, closing her eyes and lowering her head. This is the model and activist Shira Ravindran. In South Asia, women of darker skin tones are seen as less desirable to men and are often mistreated.

Shira herself discussed the ways that she experienced colorism from her community growing up in Sri Lanka. She told Yahoo News, quote, I faced a lot of racism, but even being a Tamil person, I had to deal with racism from other South Asian groups, especially like North Indians. Punjabi kids in school would look down on us kids because we are technically darker, skinned fresh. In a sense, I would say because of what I've been taught by black activists, musicians, creatives, especially black women, the love that they showed me is kind of what inspired me to love myself and my own people, unquote. The deliberate inclusion of Shira Ravindran and other South Asian women and brown skin girl helps us to see the universal

struggle of darker skin women in other cultures around the world. This universalized message thus helps us further appreciate the diverse expressions of African beauty that we see throughout the song. chorus, we see a group of eight black girls and women posed in front of a white backdrop. They face away from the camera, making the focal point of the shot their intricately patterned cornrows and knots. We then see several more images of Beyonce posed in front of the same white backdrop, showcasing hairstyles inspired by various African cultures. In one shot, her braids are woven to form a cylindrical shape high above her head. This style seems to reference the Mengbetu tribe of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where skull elongation was a symbol of status in the early

1900s. Beyonce is also seen with her hair braided into a conical shape above the head while keeping a layer of beaded strands down to form bangs and a short bob. This look was inspired by the Nigerian hairstyle called Orisha Bumi, which translates to The Erescia Gave Me. In another shot, we see Beyonce seated in a body suit with a cowrie shell headband and a thick double-twisted braid that ombris lighter as it descends the length of her calves. According to Black as King's lead hairstylist Neil Farina, this look was inspired by legendary Jamaican model and singer Grace Jones, who was known for her androgynous African features and wore hair in the same style for a 1977 photo shoot. All of these iconic images pay homage to the art and custom of hair braiding, which began on the

African continent and was used to communicate one's clan, age, or marital status. These braiding customs were later passed down to enslaved girls living in America, where braids were used as maps for roots to freedom. While they're not quite as long as Beyonce's 30-foot braids that alluded to Rapunzel earlier, the braids we see in brown skin girl are also symbolic of the royal identity and healing power of black women. beyond me there's complexities and complexion but your skin is glow like diamonds dig me like the earth you be giving back to everything alive baby know your worth

I love everything about you from your nappy curls to every single curve your body natural same skin that was broken me the same skin taking over most things are to focus for you but when you're in the room they know that's you Beyonce states there's complexities in complexion, which again upholds the diversity of skin tones among brown skin girls. It also seems to acknowledge the inherent complexity of navigating racialized society in Western Americanized cultures. Beyonce later sings, same skin that was broken be the same skin taking over. These words seem to reference the physical and emotional abuse that enslaved black people endured when their skin was broken by chains around their wrists and whips on their backs.

By saying that this formerly broken skin is the same skin taking over, Beyonce notes the growing momentum of black women in society, who are using their power to occupy influential positions in many American companies and institutions. Beyonce then encourages young brown-skinned girls by asserting that they'll get noticed when they walk into a boardroom or a ballroom for one simple reason. Although Beyonce has repeatedly affirmed the fact that brown skin girls are beautiful, she realizes that there will be days where these girls will doubt their own beauty. Much like Simba had to remember his father's encouraging words,

Beyonce tells brown skin girls to remember the encouraging words spoken to them by their African and black mothers. And to this point, as Beyonce sings remember what Mama told me, the film cuts to a shot of Beyonce standing behind her daughter Blue Ivy and holding her other daughter, Rumi. Behind Beyonce stands her mama, Tina Noles Lawson. The three generations of women all wearing matching floral dresses, tying back into the life-giving water and flower motifs we saw throughout water. The presence of Beyonce's mother, Tina, also reminds us of the motherly role that Beyonce's mama has played for numerous other black women, like the aforementioned Kelly Rowland. Fittingly, Kelly soon appears in one of the most tender moments of the film. Best friends, Beyoncé and Kelly, gaze into one another's eyes as they sing the words,

I'll never trade you for anybody else and then embrace. Beyonce whispers, I love her, and closes her eyes as if overcome with emotions. Then as the song comes to a close, Blue Ivy sings while wearing her own debutante ball gown, white gloves, and holding a bouquet of flowers. It's a fitting shot to close the piece. as it conveys Beyonce's intention in making brown skin girl and music more generally. To know that my daughter can have the same opportunities and feel confident and feel like she doesn't have to take her braids down and she can comb her afro out

and she can glisten in her brown skin. That is why I make music. In the video's Skin, skin just like her. I never church for anybody else singing. In the video's parting shot, we see again the girl with a yellow ribbon who was admiring the debutante in the beginning of the video. She's now dressed as a debutante in a ball gown and white gloves and poses alongside the other black women smiling. Like the water that nurtures a blooming flower, the girl has been nurtured by these women, by Beyonce and Blue Ivy's words, and now accepts her

yourself as a beautiful, powerful, elegant, and valuable being. This is a testament to the idea, if you can see it, you can be it, and the embodiment of the feminine divine we see throughout this act of Black as King. From the debutante ballroom scene, we moved to a misty winding river in the dim light just before the sun rises. This appears to be the same misty body of water where we saw Nala reunite with Simba under the light of the moon. As the camera appears to be flying through the misty clouds, we hear an audio clip of an anonymous man. Systemically, we've had so much taken from us. Being a king is taking what's yours, but not just for selfish reason, but to actually build

up the community. As we've previously discussed, Wufasa taught Simba that a true king searches for what he can give rather than searching for what he can take. However, the anonymous man notes, because the generational effects of slavery and colonialism have left black people with little to give, black men must first take back what is rightly theirs so they can give to others in their community. This man's words thus serve as a call to action for African Americans to take back the proverbial 40 acres in a mule from Uncle Sam and for Simba to take back the pride lands from his uncle's scar. The film then

cuts to a shot of three men dressed in white suits who are bowing their heads to look down at the camera below. The white clothes combined with the misty white clouds suggests that these men are ancestors bowing their heads to recognize Simba as their rightful heir to the kingdom. Following the shot of these three men, the clouds part, and the camera descends on the National Arts Theater in Lagos, Nigeria. The theater was built in 1976, with the intention of promoting arts and culture within Nigeria, serving as a site for stage plays, art galleries, symposiums, and community events. Its unique architecture is designed to look like a military hat, making it one of the most recognizable landmarks in Lagos.

Outside of the stadium, we see several statues, including a sculpture of a woman brandishing a sword atop a standing horse. This is Queen Amina, a 16th century warrior queen of the house of people of northern Nigeria. Queen Amina commanded an army of 20,000 men as she ruled the city-state Zazu. We also see a sculpture of an unnamed woman who has a baby tied to her back in traditional West African method that uses two pieces of cloth known as Iro and Oja and Yurra. Just like the juxtaposition of girls in both suits and dresses in brownskine girl, the juxtaposition of a famous warrior queen carrying a sword and an unnamed mother carrying a baby

reminds us that women can display their power in roles that are traditionally feminine or masculine. After these statues of powerful women, the film cuts to a shot of Nigerian singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage wearing a stunning yellow full-length dress. Next to Tiwa stands two men who are holding large ostrich feather fans wearing flowing yellow robes, pink turbans, and face veils. This style of clothing is traditional clothing for houses soldiers who rode horses through the Sahara Desert. The image of houses soldiers fanning Tiwa Savage seems to imply that Tiwa is embodying the role of a modern-day Queen Amina. It's from this position of Queen that Tiwa sings the opening lines of Black as King's next track. Peace to the kingdom.

Tiwaw Savage opens the song singing, See how the sun and the moon bow for you, but you won't open your eyes. This reference to the sun and moon continues the theme of light-giving heavenly bodies in the song Water. It was there that Beyonce sang, I'll bring you back the moon just so we got all night. I'll bring the sun down too so I can show you the light.

We previously discussed how in many ancient cultures the moon is symbolic of feminine energy and the sun is symbolic of masculine energy. The way the moon reflects the sun's light is representative of the balance and the interconnected duality of these symbols. And so by saying that the sun and the moon bow for Simba and by proxy all black people, Savage is declaring that both men and women in the heavens are bowing for him to recognize himself as a king. The idea of the sun and moon bowing takes on additional spiritual significance.

begins, when we recognize the line is a direct reference to the biblical story of Joseph from the book of Genesis. In that story, a man named Israel had a son named Joseph, who dreamed that the sun, moon, and 11 stars were bowing to him. Joseph told this dream to his parents and 11 brothers, who immediately realized the dream was about them. His brothers became increasingly jealous, and initially planned to kill him. However, later the brothers simply lied to the rest of the family by saying Joseph had been killed by wild beasts. They then resorted to selling Joseph to slave traders who were on their way to Egypt. While Joseph was serving in the house of a top Egyptian official, the wife of Joseph's master falsely accused him of trying to rape her, which led to Joseph being

imprisoned. Because Joseph was filled with the Spirit of God, he was able to interpret the dreams of one of Pharaoh's imprisoned servants. Eventually Joseph was called upon to interpret one of Pharaoh's dreams, which predicted seven years of abundant harvest, followed by seven years of widespread drought. Upon hearing this interpretation, Pharaoh recognized that Joseph was filled with the Spirit of God, and made Joseph into a king-like figure who was the most powerful ruler in Egypt next to the Pharaoh. Years later, when the drought reached Joseph's homeland, his brothers came to Egypt and bowed down before the Egyptian king who was in control of the food supply. Only later did his brothers realize that this Egyptian king was their long long long.

lost brother Joseph, whose dream had now come true. Similar to our early discussions of Rapunzel, we can see that the story of Joseph has numerous connections to Black as King. Like Joseph, Simba was sent into exile while Mufasa's brother lied about Simba being killed by Wildebeests. Like many enslaved Africans and imprisoned African Americans, Joseph faced false allegation that made him out to be a violent threat to women of the majority ethnic group. Like Simba, Joseph had dreams that revealed his spiritual connection to God and his ability to rule over an African kingdom. And like Simba's family, Joseph's family faced a drought that led them to discover that Joseph was not dead, but was actually a king.

The idea of Simba's family recognizing his royal identity seems to lead to Tewa Savage's next lines, a Yoraba phrase that translates to, Child of the king, don't forget, remember your father's name. This is a restatement of Mufasa's words, Remember who you are. Given that your father's name is a critical part of remembering who you are, we also recognize how white supremacists systemically took away the royal identity of enslaved Africans

when they forced them to use the last names of their white masters. Despite all that has been taken from black people, Tewa Savage expresses the belief that black people can get the most important things back. During the song's pre-cource it back, don't you waste it? To grow from your past, gotta face it. Oh, yeah. During the song's pre-chorus, Tiaw Savage sings, Tick-Talk, Pretty Baby,

You can get it back, don't you waste it, to grow from your past, gotta face it. She urges Simba not to waste any more time living in denial of his true identity as king. The phrase, you can get it back, seems to be encouraging him to recognize that he can take back the kingdom that was taken from him. But as we noted earlier, Simba must be ready to face his past so that his uncle's scar no longer has the power to manipulate him.

Similarly, Savage seems to be encouraging Africans on the continent and in the diaspora to face their own path so that Uncle Sam and similar Western European institutions no longer have the power to manipulate them. This idea of confronting Western institutions is also depicted as the film cuts to the inside of a home, where the interior white walls are painted with vibrant geometric patterns. This distinct style of house painting is a form of symbolic artwork that was developed and passed down by the women of the Indabella tribe of South Africa. Indabella women first developed this practice of symbolic house painting in the late 1800s, when their land was taken by white European farmers who had settled in South Africa after Dutch and British colonization.

The Indebella women used the geometric murals to communicate messages of resistance that European settlers could not interpret. They also used house painting to signify important personal events such as birth, death, or marriage of a family member. Fittingly, as the camera moves through the house, we see that Nala is wearing a white wedding dress and sitting in front of a mirror. She's joined by two bridesmaids who are helping Nala get ready for her marriage ceremony. The combination of the Ndabella paintings and Nala's wedding preparations thus suggests that Nala and Simba's marriage and commitment to black love

are themselves an act of joyful resistance against colonialism, slavery, and all other expressions of white supremacy. This theme of joyful resistance to colonialism continues into the next scene. We see two rows of seated black male judges wearing black robes and white-pattered wigs that match the style of white Europeans from the 1500s. This seemingly strange attire is actually the standard uniform for judges in modern-day Great Britain. Later on during the colonial era, these white European wigs, along with the British legal system, were imposed upon Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and other nations around the world.

world. So these wigs are a glaring symbol of the ongoing effects of European colonialism. In contrast to these symbols of colonial repression, we next see a young Nigerian woman who runs into the frame and starts to dance freely in front of the judges. This woman is Afropop dancer Love Divine E.K. A.k.a. Picture Kodak. She wears cargo pants, a white t-shirt, and a tan cap paired with bright orange jungle boots. This attire appears to be a reference to the classic uniforms of the Nigerian National Youth Service Corps. This youth corps was established by the Nigerian government in 1973 following the end of a civil war that was largely influenced by the thoughtless boundary lines that European colonizers set when they divided up Africa without consideration for existing

ethnic groups. In response to the lingering tensions caused by European imposed divisions, the Nigerian National Youth Service Corps required college graduates to spend a year serving in a different state with the goal of reconciling, reconstructing, and rebuilding Nigeria in the wake of the Civil War. So Picture Kodak's Youth Corps outfit serves as a reminder that the youth of Africa are the ones who can bring unity and healing to African nations where the social fabric remains torn by European colonizers. The healing power of African youth is further explored in the song's chorus. Tiwa Savage sings, Oh, you're the remedy. Don't know what's inside, but you're the key to the kingdom. This idea that the remedy for healing black communities lies inside Simba, Nala, and other black youth,

is something that we first heard on already. There, Shata Wally told Simba, only you got the remedy. I say you got the remedy, shine your body. Tiwa goes on to say that Simba, Nala, and other black youth are the keys to the kingdom. This phrase is another reference to the Bible. keys to the kingdom is first spoken by Jesus after his disciples observed the displacement and ethnic divisions that were ripping apart his homeland in the wake of colonization by the Greek and Roman empires. Jesus used this moment to allow his lead disciple to verbally acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah or Christ, which are the Hebrew and Greek words that refer to the anointed king of God's kingdom, who will bring unity and healing to all nations.

Jesus then told the lead disciple that he would be the rock upon which Jesus would assemble individuals of all nations to help him rule the world. Jesus then said, quote, I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you lose on earth will be lost in heaven. In the context of the biblical narrative, the keys to the kingdom symbolize the ruling power that is given to Jesus' disciples and followers to open the door for all people to unite within the kingdom of God. It's here that all those on earth will be reconnected with those in the heavens. Similarly, within Black as King, Simba is recognized as the political and spiritual leader

who can break the chains of oppression, bring unity to those on earth and reconnect with its ancestors in the heavens by following Jesus' example of loving service to all. This royal commitment to loving service is already exemplified by Nala, who promises to never leave Simba, even when it's hard for him to believe. Tiwa continues to express how Nala empathizes with Simba's struggle to face his past. saying, even the strong get weak, Nala makes room for Simba to share his strengths and his weaknesses with her. She also seems to be making another subtle biblical illusion, this time to the 34th Psalm, quote, even young lions grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord will not lack any good

thing, unquote. For Simba, seeking the Lord seems to parallel Mufasa's concept of a true king seeking what he can give in order to satisfy the physical and spiritual needs of his people. Fittingly, soon after Tewa's verse, the film transports us to Mapok, South Africa's Roman Catholic Church. The walls of this church are actually adorned in the same brightly colored geometric endobella wall paint we saw earlier. Inside the church, we see Simba wearing his royal leopard skin suit and leopard tail headband. Nala wears her white wedding dress and a queen Nefertiti-inspired white crown both of which are decorated in white pearls. Simba and Nala stand facing each other as they come to the culminating moment of the wedding ceremony.

It's here that the groom places the ring on the finger of the bride and says, With this ring, I wed you, with my body, I worship you, and with all my worldly goods, I endow you. By vowing to give all that he has to satisfy the material and spiritual needs of his queen, Simba takes a much-needed step toward becoming a true king. After Simba and Nala dance out of the church, they sit atop Nala's horse and walk out of the shot. The camera then pans up to the sky where a large moon hangs, reminding us of the light and energy that Nala and numerous other black women have provided to guide Simba on his journey back home.

The combined light of the feminine moon and the masculine sun thus sets up the subsequent audio clip. It would be a much better world for all of us if kings and queens realized that being equal, sharing spaces, sharing our age, sharing values, sharing strengths, sharing weaknesses, balancing each other out. That is the way in which our ancestors did things and that is an African way. The royalty in you is there for you to be a blessing to others, for you to leave a legacy that others can look to and find hope and find strength, find healing as well. As we watched Simba and Nala riding their horse through a parking garage, we hear an anonymous woman explained that the African ancestors were able to maintain the delicate balance by ensuring that power was shared

equally between men and women, similar to Queen Nefertiti and Pharaoh Akhenaten, serving as co-rulers of Egypt. The woman then goes on to remind modern-day kings and queens that the royal power is meant to be used to provide hope, strength, and healing for others in their community. However, as the camera zooms in to focus on the grave look on Simba's face, we recognize that Simba will need to risk his own life to bring healing to Simba's drought-stricken heart. homeland. You're my reason to believe in. This is Black is King's next song and video, Other Side, where Simba will finally confront

his fear of death as he seeks to bring life back to his homeland. That's next time on Dysect. Today's episode was written by Maggie Lacey, Titi Shodia, Femioluteade, and me, audio editing by Eric Bass and me, additional research by Gail Acosta, song recreations by Andrew Atwood, theme music by Bureaucratic. Be sure to follow us on social media at Dysect Podcast and check out our limited merch for this series on our website, Dysectpodcast.com. All right, thanks everyone. Talk to you next time.