It has been days since the release of the official video of Kizz Daniel’s ‘Buga’, a song that has been an anthem in the mouth of all and sundry. The video, shot in Cameroon, was directed by TG Omori and has already garnered up to 10 million views on YouTube – an impressive feat by any means.
This music video is undoubtedly visually appealing, featuring a collage of colours, communitarianism and carnivals. But that’s all about it. ‘Buga’ official video wouldn’t stand the test of time that the audio would.
The Good
Apart from the fact that the music video utilises unique visual elements that must have been a product of great expenditure in terms of time, energy, capital and people, it also features an admirable concept.
‘Buga’ video positively spotlights African culture and the countries that dot the face of the African continent. The video opens with a glance at ladies adorned in green white green – a colour combination that represents the Nigerian flag. This particular adornment is also a combination of traditional African attire and foreign elements such as gele (head tie), gloves, eyewear and shiny bracelets mindfully placed in the centre of the frame. All these are subtle, though effective, attempts at localising the global and globalising the local.
Moreover, the flags of African countries covertly or overtly pervade the frames. As a highpoint, Mr Funny, a Nigerian skit maker and comedian, can be seen hoisting the Cameroonian flag. This concept has been largely successful, as the positive comments of Cameroonians, diasporans, and other Africans in the comment section of the video on YouTube reveal.
All of these perform the civic function of putting African countries on the world map and giving Africans home and abroad a sense of belonging. It reminds us that we are closer to one another than we think.
Furthermore, against the norm in an industry where sex sells, this music video remains essentially sexually inexplicit. As a result, the video is not restricted to any age. No wonder it features people from different walks: the older man owing a debt, the little girl with a ball, the women in Ankara prints, and the classy model with her posh Afro. ‘Buga’, thanks to the director, opens itself, along with the African culture, to everyone in the community – for a change.
The Bad
‘Buga’ is naturally a dance-themed song but the video privileges costume and colour over choreography. With the profusion of dance videos and skits that the audio version evoked on its release, many people would expect that the video would pack a punch in terms of dance. However, it only features tit bits of the ‘Buga dance’ here and there. While colourful isn’t dull, a deliberate insertion of choreography would no doubt engage the audience better and endear them to the video beyond the aural and colourful qualities.
The cuts and takes in the video are superfluous. So much so, that it is very easy to lose the plot. For example, the video makes its audience understand that an elaborate carnival was ongoing; however, there appeared to be no arrangement or pattern. As a result, the video gives a feel of too many things going on in the takes in one fell swoop and too many actions spilling into the four corners of the frame. If nothing, the too many cuts and takes make the eyes overwork.
In conclusion, TG Omori put in work to bring to life an impressive, colourful and cohesive video; still, his finished product needed a little bit of coherence – one that we can only hope Kizz Daniel’s performance of the song would have when, I hope, he’s finally on the 2022 World Cup stage.
Rating: 6.5/10
