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@dissectpodcast Y'all did that! Just finished the Black Is King series, and it gave me life. Thank you for unpacking the depth and the nuance of this powerful piece.
Also wanted to share a couple of potential additions. When I saw the "straw man" in Ja Ara E, I immediately thought of Babalu Aye (who I believe is called Sopono in Nigeria), the God of Diseases. It's the exact same look. It also seems to fit narratively. https://mojosiedlak.com/babalu-aye-god-diseases/
The guy who says that it's often the women that give him his manhood training is Nigerian-American rapper/singer Jidenna. I happened to see that interview...it's either the one he did with Sway or with The Breakfast Club...I think it's Sway though.
Another possible reading for the "Otherside" moment: perhaps that experience was the "great act" that allowed Bey's ancestor character to become an Orisha. A mother's sacrifice. Black mothers and Mother Africa are rewarded on the Otherside for the great losses they've endured.
I felt like Otherside was an archetypal narrative that shows how Simba's journey is part of a legacy of black experience. Of separation from the mother(land), confusion and arduous journey, and reconnection through spirit. I see it as a global version of Simba's experience.
I think that's why in the spiritual realm, Bey is reunited with her baby AND Simba is reunited with Mufasa. The Bey reunion is symbolic of the broader black experience while Simba's is more specific to the plot.
I say this also because the baby here is different from the baby at the start. Also, I read the dust storm as the coming of Europeans to Africa/colonization/enslavement.
Though I think the Ethiopian tribe you mentioned is probably who they were referencing with the children in the spirit realm, it's interesting to note that the aesthetic is also very similar to the work of queer British-Nigerian artist Rotimi Fani-Kayode https://www.artsy.net/artwork/rotimi-fani-kayode-nothing-to-lose-xii-bodies-of-experience
Though the purple and blue men (masculine energies) fight in My Power, a blue man and purple woman are seen balancing on each other surrounded by golden rings - seemingly suggesting that when masc and femme are balanced the circle is complete and inner forces coexist in harmony.
Finally, I think Bey in the cowry shells at the end when she snatches up Scar could also be referencing Yemoja/Yemaya again as she's sometimes pictured with her face covered by cowrie shells.
Woud love to hear your thoughts! Btw...your Black Parade analysis 
So good. Thank y'all for helping me understand this film in its breadth and depth even further. 
So good. Thank y'all for helping me understand this film in its breadth and depth even further.
