It has come to that point where Irene Ntale ought to be held to a higher standard. First, I must add a disclaimer; Irene Ntale makes those kind of videos that are far better than majority of what is being produced in Uganda. But her honeymoon is over, she has earned her name in the big league and she deserves to be judged by the same ratings reserved for music artistes of her league. Nzenna Nzenna as a video may be good, worthy of all the praises, but it will certainly never earn a spot as a great video. It is entertaining, but it ends at that. There is no memorability to it. This is very characteristic of Ntale’s videos, they take simplicity too far. Her simplistic videos are a metaphor for her music — doing the minimum required, and not struggling to go the extra mile. At the end of the day, her Nzenna Nzenna video tells the story, but it does not win the heart of the viewer. Videos have been shot along the Jinja streets, old people have danced in rib-cracking ways since the beginning of time, and so have dancers pulled off captivating strokes. What else then does this music video bring to the grand table of men? Does it employ any superior effects? These are absent. Does it tell a story that is hooking? Again, it doesn’t. So why exactly should one watch the Nzenna Nzenna video? Possibly to enjoy the heavy ordeal of make-up that Ntale subjected us to. Her face almost became another painting book in this video. The only thing interesting to watch in this video is that toddler that pulls off her Nzenna Nzenna strokes in a way that reflects off Ntale’s glasses. It is another video that goes down the mediocrity drain because it lacks a touch of excellence. – Ian Ortega
