This Is Nigeria by Falz Essay Example

The modern choreography does not focus on the dancing that tells a story but instead dances that attract and sell. What Modern choreography is all about showcasing skills, the money and show off of who can pull moves better? Most videos have no meaning at all and are just there to add spice to the music. However, some videos have sense and tell a story from the way the dance is choreographed. There are recent videos that speak stories, but there are also ancient ones that also speak stories in their dances. The most artist especially contemporary artist tries and makes their dances storytelling mechanism.

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One such artist is Folarin Folana also known as Falz his stage name. He is a Nigerian contemporary artist and a songwriter. His music carrier began when he was still in high school after forming a school group known as school boys. His professional career began in 2009 after his debut song marry me hit the headlines and won the best collaboration of the year award in Nigeria Entertainment Awards. He has also been nominated in the best rap act of the year. He owns a record label known as Bad Guys which is an independent label. He is a son of a Nigerian Human rights activist Femi Falana and thus explains his choice of music messages and videos. Among many songs he has done one, this is Nigeria. The music is not his original idea, but he has a message in the choreography.

This is Nigeria music despite being a parody of Donald Glover. This is America, has shown a different side of the original song. Falz in this music has used one of the most significant pieces of social commentary; he has used dark humor to tell a story of the worst socio-economic issues in Nigeria today and across Africa. The video is set in an open space warehouse sort of building, and it begins with speeches done by Falz Father who is a human rights Activists. In one of his statements, he talks about how Nigeria is being governed like a "predatory neo-colonial capitalist system" which in his speech says was built on fraud and exploitation. In his remarks, he states that the exploitation and fraud are bound to lead the country into a state of corruption. These speeches are the baseline of the song by Falz.

The video does not use symbolism to bring out its message it spells out the things that are done in Nigeria head on without beating around the bush. As the video starts, there is a herdsman seated playing the ukulele (a Musical instrument in Africa). He suddenly stands up and attacks a concealed man with a machete. The scene is a representation of the increasing number of herdsmen attacks that are very rampant in Nigeria. Falz is joined by a group of four girls that are dressed in hijab that are dark in color. They are a representation of the Chibok girls that were kidnapped by Boko Haram years ago.

In the next scene, shows the increasing cases of corruption that have been happening in Nigeria. Falz appears with a basket that has a snake writhing inside and has naira notes inside. This is about the statement made by one 'madam Philomena of the National university admission board who said that 36 million Naira which is an equivalent of $100000, was swallowed by a snake. The scene shows the ridiculous things happening with corruption in the western Africa state.

The following scene shows a student alighting from a bus, staggering in his hand he is holding something that we can all assume is the codeine cough syrup and has a cup in the other side. Clearly showing Nigerian opioids crisis. While all this is happening Falz is calling out to the president of Nigeria and his officials for sitting and watching all those vices occur yet they are doing nothing. He states that all those involved in crime and other dubious activities are not arrested. Instead, the government is just all around seeking for re-election despite having done nothing.

Falz uses his black humor to mock the police stations in Nigeria who despite the rising cases of insecurity across the country addressed the nation saying they will have to close by six in the evening citing security issues. The next scene has a pastor in a cassock preaching about the power of miracles, while Falz is trying to address the many sexual assaults cases by the men of clothes who are taking advantage of the desperation in their flocks. Two men who are trying to turn on gasoline generators shows the state of Nigerians problems with electricity which is a significant power source for many households in Nigeria. In the same line of music, Falz complains about the comments made by The Nigerian president in commonwealth business forum in England depicting Nigerian youth as lazy.

As the video progresses the special Anti-robbery squad makes an appearance, two men are picked up and are categorized as criminals. One of the young men's fathers appears and can pay the bribe for his son. He is released yet the other one is left with the police since he cannot be able to spend a bribe. The scene shows that justice is indeed expensive for poor people.

The Nigerian inspector general is also featured in the video, making a stammering speech and repeating the same words over and over was literate. Just like the beginning an audio recording by Flaz father Femi Falana attacking the church in his remarks, he attacked church-owned private institutions, taking offers from poor parish goers and charging exorbitant school fees which only the wealthy can afford.

The repetitive theme of the music video is that the ordinary citizen is to blame for all the bad vices that happen in the society. Everybody is termed as a criminal by Falz by condoning all these bad things that happen. From this video, Falz shows that despite the slamming of afrobeat artists for their choice of music, there is another way that it can be used to address the many challenges that are faced by the society.

The video by Falz addresses all the socio-economic vices that happen in most African countries and most developing countries. The three-minute video is well choreographed to show the current state of democracy in developing nations. Governments do not care whether the state of the economy is diminishing or what happens in society. They are only keen on enriching themselves and asking for re-election despite having zero development records.

The video points out the people's ignorance and the blind eye the society turns to the things that they should speak up. The choreography shows the kind of bad things that happen in society within a brief time. It also depicts that the government officials, all the concerned parties do not care and are out there to exploit the desperate in the society. The video shows how people get away with most criminal activities without being jailed or any action being taken against them.

The video has opened up an avenue, for other artists to highlight the challenges that the society goes through and the highlight where most governments have failed their citizens. For instance, in Kenya, there is music that criticizes the government and the community at a large. As much as videos are used for entertainment, they can be used to address the challenges in the nation and also tell stories. This is a pure case of art imitating the social life and painting a vivid picture of the current situations and use of lyrics that do not sugar coat but nail the point as it should be.

Falz video on this is Nigeria does not give solutions to the problems but highlights them. His work is commendable but would have been better if it was directional and solution offering. It should serve as lessons for other artists who underscore such societal challenges to also come up with solutions to the same problems through their videos.

References

Adeshokan, Oluwatosin. "The Hit "This Is Nigeria" Video Tackles The Country'S Worst Problems One Reference At A Time". Quartz Africa, 2018, https://qz.com/africa/1292249/this-is-nigeria-by-falz-explains-africas-largest-economy-like-childish-gambino-on-america/. Accessed 9 Nov 2018.

"This Is Nigeria". Bahd Guy Studio, 2018.