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Africa | Concerts | Capitalism
Beyoncé Excludes Africa: African Media Accuse her of Appropriating Their Culture While Snubbing Them
Several media outlets are expressing their distain for being excluded
Wednesday, 8 February 2023
By: TB Obwoge
When Beyoncé announced her world tour, several African media outlets reported on her excluding the African continent. A Kenyan article written by a South African man outlined why he was angry. He coined it the constant ‘subbing’ of Africa.
Several African media outlet have accused Beyoncé of appropriating African culture within her visual effects in her videos and concerts. Some have gone as far as saying she’s ‘exploiting’ Africa and Africans culture.
Beyoncé snubs Africa. Here’s why she shouldn’t
African fans were disappointed, but no doubt not surprised — Africa is almost always excluded from major world tours organised by global record labels.
What further confounds many African fans is that it seems such a natural fit for Beyoncé to revisit the continent. Her love for Africa is evident.
In a capitalist commercial music industry, stadium world tours significantly affect an artist’s revenue and exposure. Almost without fail, African countries are erased as possible destinations, leaving many fans asking why.
While we may never know the answer — unless record labels blatantly state their perspectives — many are left to wonder if big name artists and their management teams think that Africa does not have adequate infrastructure to accommodate their grandiose sets. Or if they believe that stadiums will not fill up with patrons such as those across the global north do.
One of the ways that we can start to make sense of Africa’s exclusion is by applying an intersectional lens to western popular culture…
