On Sunday, Beyoncé took to Instagram to announce Black is King, a visual album telling “a story of how the people left MOST BROKEN have EXTRAORDINARY gifts.” The titular statement manifests itself throughout: the album is “meant to celebrate the breadth and beauty of Black ancestry”, a “labour of love”. 

Originally filmed as a counterpart to the Lion King: the Gift soundtrack, the album has taken on a whole new meaning in the current moment. There’s a pressing need for structural change, and to uplift and empower Black voices. Beyoncé hopes to do so. “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.”

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CCAMxfrHjAL/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading

Certainly, those stories are diverse and vibrant, which Beyoncé hopes to emphasize—rather than turning an entire continent into a monolith. The film will be shown in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, Namibia, Cameroon, Liberia, Burundi, Senegal, Togo, Somalia, Benin, Congo, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Gabon, Cape Verde and more (as Rolling Stone reports). 

Beyoncé’s joined on screen by Kelly Rowland, Tina Knowles-Lawson (of course), Lupita Nyong’o, Naomi Campbell, and others. She’s credited as writer, director and producer, accompanied by an onslaught of creatives. Collaborators include Jake Nava, Pierre Debusschere, Ibra Ake, Blitz Bazawule, Emmanuel Adjei, Dikayl Rimmasch, Jenn Nkiru, and Kwasi Fordjour. 

“This experience has been an affirmation of a grander purpose. My only goal is that you watch it with your family and that it gives you pride.”

Watch the trailer below: