Anyone who's familiar with Beyoncé's work knows that every outfit, song sample, visual, and album artwork contains a deeper meaning behind its face-value. As such, assiduous fans have uncovered the cultural significance behind Bey's latest artistic vision. Shortly after Beyoncé and Jay Z's official On the Run II tour announcement Monday morning, fans began to notice the striking similarities between a promotional tour poster and the 1973 Senegalese film Touki Bouki.
The film, directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty, and debuted at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival, chronicles the story of two young lovers, Mory and Anta, who devise a plan to leave their home Dakar for the glamour of life in Paris. The pair take on a Bonnie and Clyde-esque characterization, planning to steal the money needed for their grand escape to France. In the film, Mory rides his signature motorcycle with a bull-horned skull mounted onto the handlebars—which we can see duplicated in Bey and Jay's OTRII poster.
Fans are already speculating what the use of this specific imagery could mean for the overall look of the tour. Others are drawing similarities to the Carters and the couple from Touki Bouki's relationships. In any instance, the film is still highly regarded as one of Africa's greatest cinema classics, and who better than Beyoncé to remind us all of its glory.
As the wise stan and The Read podcast co-host Crissle West has warned, you just have to be constantly ready for Beyoncé to pop up and surprise us with these kinds of blessings.
