The music video
Amaalo – Sasha Brighton

Isn’t it high time that video directors in Uganda retired the household-kitchen setting? Is romance in Uganda all about a woman in the kitchen trying to prepare a meal for her man? Perhaps, the feminists ought to speak out. This is another video that utilises the kitchen scenes. Sasha wakes up in the morning, checks out the kitchen cabinets, then rushes to the market to pick some food stuffs.
Soon she’s done with the food, and yes, she serves it as expected, while kneeling down. Pretty much demonstrates a ceiling to visual creativity in the music industry. What happened to coming up with novel concepts? How about a memorable storyline that would stay in one’s mind for years to come? Maybe it doesn’t matter in this industry.
Then comes the lighting, the shadows take the day. Was it also a must to illustrate every single part that Sasha sang about? When she mentions coffee, we are shown the kettle and the tea cup. When she mentions medicine, the same happens. Again, that’s a boring ordeal for a viewer.
The chemistry between the characters was also absent. One gets a feeling that this is something that’s not coming naturally, maybe they needed time to get comfortable, and bond with each other. There is a looming visual nervousness. Finally, before we know it, the video is ending – a good thing to know – but it takes one by surprise.
On a positive side, Sasha keeps a constant smile throughout the video. She pulls off the signature Irene Ntale dances, that for a moment, one may mistake her for Ntale. And of course, she dresses the part, the happy housewife, and the bubbly town girl. She navigates her way around the roles and saves the video from being a total disappointment.