The official music video for summer smash hit, Akanamali received poor reviews upon its release – here’s why
Akanamali by Sun-El Musician featuring Samthing Soweto, was undoubtedly one of the biggest summer songs released last year. The official music video for the song was published on YouTube by Viva Nation TV on 13 October 2017. The video has thus far been viewed over three million times. However, many YouTube commenters have posted negative reviews of the music video citing that the narrative is incongruent with the message of the song.
Narrative breakdown
The music video traverses three romantic narratives, each of which centre around similar struggles. We see three young couples face the challenge of being cash-strapped while trying to live in the city.
The first story line involves a couple who run away together to Johannesburg. They are seen boarding a bus which also carries Sun-El Musician and Samthing Sowteo. The two musicians count pennies as the bus departs.
The following pair includes a young lady clearly bored with living at her parent’s house. She yawns as her mother gives her a stern talking to. The young lady then dashes off to join her boyfriend for a drive in his expensive car. Her dreams of riches are dashed when she arrives at his apartment which is scantily furnished and well-worn. Samthing Soweto and Sun-El Musician are seen shaking their heads in disapproval of her behaviour as they struggle to fix their beaten-up car.
The final romance sequence features a couple out at a club. The young woman revels in the lavish alcohol display on offer as her partner smokes a cigarette. Their night ends with him unable to pay the bill.
The video also features Samthing Soweto and Sun-El Musician singing atop Johannesburg rooftops, and a finale sequence in which all the couples and the musicians celebrate.
You can watch the full music video here:
Technical analysis
To fully grasp the narrative link between the music video and the song, it should be watched more than once. Upon first viewing the video, it may seem incongruous with the lyrics and slightly disjointed. However, when viewed again the pieces begin to join up as a central theme emerges.
Some commenters have claimed that the video is of poor quality due to a low budget. Nevertheless, the scenes filmed atop the Johannesburg skyline are well lit and framed beautifully by the sunset in the background. This element highlights that creative ingenuity can trump a large budget production. But, the finale sequence could use some tweaking as it takes place against a white screen and the acting is more caricature than necessary.
Overall, the video is well polished aside from the closing scene. The cinematography is of standard quality and although confusing at first, the narrative does resonate with the apparent meaning of the song.
Tarryn Jameson
t.jameson@politicalanalysis.co.za