You Can Take a Class at Harvard Inspired by Beyoncé's 'Black Is King'
Beyoncé's visual album, Black Is King, was the singer's ode to the African Diaspora. A visual accompanyment to the album The Lion King: The Gift, the film reimagines the classic story of The Lion King with cameos by Naomi Cambell, Lupita Nyong'o, and more. Black Is King has recently become the subject of a program at The Harvard Museum of Science & Culture, which will be taught via Zoom and is open registration.
The course, titled "Black Is Queen: The Divinie Feminine in Kush," uses songs from the visual album to explore the high status of women in the Nubian Kingdom of Kush (now Northern Sudan). Professor Solange Ashby "will discuss how how ancient Africans of the Nile Valley understood female power and presence," according to the university's website.
This isn't the first time Beyoncé's work has become a subject of programs at Harvard. In 2019 the university offered a course centering around works by the singer and fellow star Rihanna, called “Beyoncé Feminism, Rihanna Womanism: Popular Music and Black Feminist Theory.”
