I love madness, I love this madness when it’s musical and visual, and Daxx Kartel brings that touch of madness to his music videos. Ryomboka is not an exception; it’s actually another full dose of Ugandan wit. Ugandan music artistes are now capitalising on the children hymn factor, and the dances performed by youngsters. It won’t take you years to realise that it’s a video out of Uganda, right from the dances, and the tantalising craziness on display. We have those ladies wiggling their waists, moving to the fast tempo that characterises the audio. I still have to find out about Daxx Kartel’s stylist. Despite the video being crowded, his unique style affords him the ability to stand out. From his red hairdos, his multi-colored clothing patterns and the energy he injects into the moment.
The must-watch funny moment is that of the three children. This moment brings the video to a temporary standstill; one of the children had the babyish face of the Nigerian Osita Iheme (Aki and Pawpaw). But I get lost. As a viewer, I literally have no idea what this video is about. It lacks direction. In choosing to go freestyle as far as the storyline is concerned, the video ends up losing us. Don’t expect to find out the meaning of “Ryomboka” from this video, let alone get a hint to what could be the meaning. I promise you will be more lost after watching the video than before. The video wanted to get many things done; it wanted to give many people a platform. But that rarely works for music videos; the many people you give the platform, the harder it gets to direct them. We end up with a great concept buried by great misdirection.
