If you are not a part of Beyonce’s ‘Beyhive’ yet, you ought to be.
The Grammy award-winning artist and cultural influencer announced the debut of her documentary, “Homecoming,” on Instagram last Wednesday.
The film follows the dedication that went into Beyonce’s 2018 Coachella performance, which entailed eight months of planning and practice.
“Every tiny detail had an intention,” said Beyonce in the film.
She was the main director, producer and performer of the production. She made sure that nothing was out of place or lacked purpose in her performance, according to the film.
The intention of the film proved to show more than just the planning and execution of her performance.
Beyonce was calling on the youth of today, specifically the black youth, to create a cultural movement.
By being the first African-American woman to headline Coachella, she did not deviate from the importance of that.
Her crew of young backup dancers and orchestra members were mainly from historically black colleges and universities (HBCU), and though she was the headliner for that day, she happily shared the spotlight with her cast.
“It was important to me that everyone who had never seen themselves represented felt like they were on that stage with us,” said Beyonce as she described the planning in her documentary.
The theme of “Homecoming” was not only present in the Greek letters and band uniforms onstage, but the deeper celebration of HBCUs and the ode to black culture, its leaders and its intellectuals who carried on that cultural movement.
Beyonce performed the black national anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” early in her two-hour performance as a nod to black audiences and a precursor to the theme of her show.
Dispersed throughout the film were quotes from famous artists and leaders such as W.E.B. DuBois, Maya Angelou and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
“Feminist: a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes,” said Adichie, a black novelist who has been quoted in Beyonce’s performances in the past.
Along with the show commending black excellence, beauty and intelligence, she also celebrated womanhood.
Many of Beyonce’s ballads preach woman empowerment and all of her special guests except for her husband, Jay-Z, were women.
Though many may see Beyonce and Jay-Z as a power duo, her documentary focuses on her with her husband mainly in the background.
“In each of us, another woman or young girl might see a reflection of herself, of her worth of her boundless potential,” said Beyonce in the film. “The youth need to see their greatness reflected in our eyes.”
By emphasizing the power of women through her female backup dancers and feminist hits, Beyonce has created a social symbol of herself.
Through motherhood, she describes the role she has taken to be a role model for not only her children, but to all the young people in the world who have their eyes on her.
Beyonce managed to cover black excellence, feminist values and smooth vocals within her two-hour film and did it excellently.
Not only did I gain a greater appreciation for her as an artist, but I now view her as a social activist.
