Following the massive public backlash when word broke that Queen Bey wanted to tell Sarah’s story, her rep told Billboard magazine that, “Beyonce is in no way tied to this project. This is an important story that should be told, however.” But it seemed pretty clear earlier this week that she was on board with wanting to share Sarah’s tragic life and young, impoverished death with the world. So did fan anger cause her to walk away? We’ll never know but one thing’s for sure, the outrage that she wanted to have total control of a project about Sarah’s dramatic life was huge and real.
https://twitter.com/prescelto_/status/684285772858560513
Sarah Baartman's body – 200 years from freak show to museum exhibit to Beyonce movie. Depressing stuff.https://t.co/o88CBZQ1jG
— Martin Myers (@DrMartinMyers) January 7, 2016
Beyonce wants to play Sarah Baartman but can't even perform in SA? She can wait.
— Koki Neo Maforah (@Co_key) January 5, 2016
When you hear Beyoncé will play Sarah Baartman in a movie about her life 🙆🏾 pic.twitter.com/FyhJ1u6xeF
— uSweethat (@Andile_Gamedze) January 4, 2016
Also can we stop using American actors to tell the story of South African icons???
Why must Beyonce play Sarah Baartman???
— Ngwana wa Bakwena (@Leboux_M) January 4, 2016
South Africans when they received the news that Beyoncé is gonna be playing Sarah Baartman in a new movie pic.twitter.com/nP0iQstKw2
— AKA & Man U devotee (@Moses_Nku) January 4, 2016
>>>> Then Beyoncè wants to create and star in a Saartjie Baartman movie. Yet again our stories are being told by other people.
— Bongani_Drama™ (Magister Technologiae) (@Bongani_Drama) January 4, 2016
Even the leader of the South African tribe Sarah belonged to slammed the notion of Beyonce taking on the part. “She lacks the basic human dignity to be worthy of writing Sarah’s story, let alone playing the part,” Chief Jean Burgess of the Ghonaqua First Peoples told News24. “Why Sarah Baartman? Why not a story about an Indigenous American woman? I can only see arrogance in her attempt to tell a story that is not hers to tell.”
HollywoodLifers, do you think Beyonce should have been part of this project?