Apparently, some people feel that Beyonce is appropriating African culture with her upcoming visual film Black Is King. According to Ace Showbiz, on person wrote in an online forum, “She needs to read the room. Focus on the s**t that’s going on in the country she was born in, romanticizing Africa isn’t what we need right now girl.” Another person wrote, “Seriously, I’m glad people have caught on to this because it has always bothered me how people appropriate ‘African cultures’.”
A third person wrote, “I’ve been saying all this will eventually backfire on her. It’s clear she’s out here pandering and riding a wave. People would eventually catch on. Its becoming performative at this point.”
Another person agreed, saying, “It’s a bad look, especially when you want to bite off the culture.”
A few people defended Beyonce. One person wrote,“People are so sensitive. This is one of the rare moments where africa is being shown in a positive light that’s not just egypt or morocco. Beyonce was clearly showing the variety of african cultures not homogenizing them! They shouldn’t accuse her of being ignorant just because they cant tell the difference.”
One person argued that Beyonce is just trying to sell her music, saying, “Honestly, I do not know why people are writing think pieces about this. Beyonce is just trying to sell her music that’s it. I see it for what it is a promotional and marketing tactic to push her music, just like Childish Gambino [a.k.a. Donald Glover] did with Guava Island.”