"In an article by Kate Storey, academics Dennis Geronimous and Jim Nikas gave their insights on the symbolism captured in Beyonce and Erizku’s master piece of a photoshoot. The complete erasure of the rather distinct influence of Afrikan Spirituality (Ifá to be precise) in the symbolism was palpably strong in the piece and yet it was also woefully unsurprising...
Another more obvious hint that the analysis should have looked a little more South of the globe is the fact that the chosen date, i.e. the 2nd of February, for the big reveal is also the day set aside in Salvador, Bahia Brazil to celebrate one of the main Orishas, who also features rather prominently in both Beyoncé’s video album Lemonade and her shoot – Yemaya or Iemanjá. Yemaya is the Orisha of the seas and oceans, fertility, motherhood, safety of children, protection, love and healing in Ifa, Santería and Candomblé cultures across the Black Atlantic. She is also the mother of all the Orisha in Yoruba culture’s Ifá and its variations in the Caribbean, where she is also known as the Black Madonna, Our Lady of Regla or Virgin of Regla."
I just learned so much!
FB: this was such a cool analysis, covering so many topics "Observed through a less anti-black and by extension, anti- black aesthetic lens, the photoshoot as well as Lemonade can be seen as more than just an ode to the Orisha – with links to Santería or Candomblé specifically and Ifá as the sine qua non – but an actual performance of ceremony."
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