I dream of a time when I will watch a Ugandan music video that will be shot by a Ugandan producer. I dream of a Ugandan music video that won’t try to copy or even borrow a concept that has been seen in videos that came before. Yes, I dream of a Ugandan music video that is built from scratch, and out of scratch comes something so big, something worth it, something that embodies creativity.
But it’s all a dream, especially if we still have videos such as Evaluate by Jaki O and Andy Music. This video is a pure cut and paste of Flavour’s Ikwokrikwo video. I understand even the beat was copied from this Nigerian, but did we have to go that far and even copy the way he made his video?
However, the video still manages to do its copy-cat well. After all, copy cats never miss out on the crucial details. The video manages to utilise its location. The beauty of the sunlight filtering through the leaves and trees evokes emotions of calmness fused with romance.
The structuring of the story-line enables the video to connect deeply with the soul of a man. This gorgeous Jaki O happens to walk past these two burly men in African costumes and she leaves them awed. I love how Andy Music then comes in; drops his manifesto and before long his boys break into dance, encircling the couple.
However, wait a minute! Did we also steal those feminine Nigerian dances? I saw Jaki O dance that famous Yoruba Gelede dance. Who says copying is bad?