Copying without coping

(all photos uploaded from google.co.ke)

(bestchristmaswishes.com)

Happy New Year 2016! It looks like it will be a great year and I pray that it will be for you my readers as well.

This year I will start with something that has been plaguing my mind for awhile. The fact that as a continent, we Africans are trying so hard to copy and emulate what we see from other continents in the hopes that if it worked elsewhere, it will work for us. We are so ready to be fed ideas about development and technologies that seem to be taking us nowhere.

I will lay special emphasis on art in Africa. Most of the songs in Kenya today sound like the producer was trying hard to make a similar version of an international hit song. The same beats, the same tone, the same rap style and almost the same video. The problem is we do not have the same resources that were used in the previous version. I have seen some videos of people making rap songs, which is not their niche at all. They wear the traditional rap clothes (Buggy trousers, hoods and oversized T-shirts), make words that do not make sense and use beats that sound like the high pitched sound a baby makes while crying.

Most musicians and producers in Africa have complained that their music is not selling. They blame us, the African audience for rejecting their music and turning to other international or African music. They tell us about how much time they spent in the studio to make their music, yet their efforts are not appreciated. They complain that other people’s music is played more in the local traditional forms of media. They ask why they are not called for local shows, when people are willing to part with millions to bring in international celebrities. In a nutshell they say we do not celebrate them.

I speak for myself, I will not celebrate nonsense.

I understand that we do not have the resources to produce high quality videos and sound, but I do not accept mediocre writing and delivery. Yes, I am judging people’s work. Yes, I do not understand the pains and the struggles to write, find a beat and distribute music. Yes, I am unaware of the guidelines given to distribute and sell music. But, that is no excuse.

I know that as Kenyans and Africans we have the capability to produce music that people can sit down and listen to. I hate the situation where one song is played for over two weeks, after that we forget about it completely. I have always wanted to pose the question, why is it people are still listening to Bob Marley, upto now? More than 30 years later. 

(nation.co.ke)

Why are people still listening and celebrating the late E-Sir (Issah Mmari) today? He did not produce that many videos during his time, but we all listened to him and appreciated his music. I can only guess how much he sold his last album Tumefika. 

(loopah.co.ke)

(sde.co.ke)

Moreover, he still had songs written in his notebook that he had planned to produce. I sometimes wished our African artist could borrow a leaf from positive people who made and make great music. If they want us to support Africa, let them make for Africa. To the Kenyan musicians today, take time, write your lyrics and make sure there is a message that someone can use and appreciate.

(afromixent.com)

In terms of movies and series, I see the same story line I watch in international productions. If someone is going to make a copy, I would rather the original. It has better quality and acting. Some of the African productions are shoddily written and the actors look like they are ‘acting’. Granted it is the actor’s job to act, but they should not make it so obvious. I have acted for awhile and I believe the best form of acting is diving into that role and making it your own. I love Nigerian movies. They are very original. I love Bongo wood movies; they speak and act like they would normally. I love South African productions; they use their native tongues and traditions. I am not sure about North African productions (Example Egypt). I am also not sure about other African countries like Ethiopia, Rwanda, Congo, Mali, Ivory Coast, Botswana and Uganda.

(www.pjrileystudio.com)

When it comes to Kenyan shows, there is good content, the rest are reused scripts, recycled over and over again. I at times predict what the actor is going to say or what the story is going to be about. The acting makes it worse because the actors did not take time to know what they are acting about. Another problem I have is using the same actors again and again. These actors have been in the industry for more than 5-20 years but you can count on them to be present in any major production in Kenya. True we need resident actors, and they need the work, but why are we not investing in a new generation of actors? It is because the new breed does not have the dedication or the time to build their acting career. They just want to act any role, as long as it’s a big, and get paid; pure, plain and simple. Producers also need to be blamed. Some do not take time to research and write good scripts. They also lack the resources to pay the cast, crew and for the production. It is important for them to plan before embarking on any production.

I know that ‘a prophet is never accepted in his own home’ since I am not ready to look at the challenges the art industry in Africa and especially Kenya is trying their level best to keep up with the world. However, we are not the world. We are our own persons. We cannot copy what others do and expect to be on the same level. It is time to have what we can call our own. If we are saying we are making African art, let it be African art. Let us not copy, if we cannot cope.

(ipkenya.files.wordpress.com)

You Tube has become the most popular video website in the world. People are getting paid for the number of views they get because of their videos. There are stories of You Tubers making millions thanks to such views. In Africa the popularity of You Tube is steadily growing and fortunately, there are people who have the chance to become You Tubers. However, I have one problem. They are doing the same content as other You Tubers. Most of them are not unique, therefore their videos are predictable and boring. Gaming videos and Vlogs are the most popular uploads, but they are not getting as many views. The question is why should I watch, what I already watched? I accept the fact that maybe they love making these videos, but why not give it a twist. Change and do something different. Make it exciting. I know Vlogging in Kenya is difficult because some people do not give permission to film in certain locations for security reasons and it is not safe to walk around filming with your phone in Nairobi. So why not go film in your upcountry? Why not play video games in an African language (but provide subtitles)? Why not play African or old retro games? Why not make the background of the video unique? Why not make instructional or ‘How to’ videos about Africa? Why not make historical channels that talk about Africa? True nobody will want to view such videos, but remember most You Tubers started from zero subscribers to where they are now because of their uniqueness. ‘The journey of a hundred kilometers begins with one step’. If we do what everyone is doing, then we should not complain that our content is being ignored.

I would wish that all African artists research and actually see what people want. I also hope to see uniqueness in final productions, so that I can say ‘yes, that is African’. If we keep on copying we will never develop as a continent. I also want these artists to write good meaningful content that can be watched or listened to over and over again.

To all those producing art; BIG UP! to you. I am also trying to do the same. I am also struggling and preparing to see how I can sell my content to the world. My advice; keep it real, keep it African, or wherever you are from, make it homegrown so that YOUR people can appreciate it.

(assets.laut.fm)

I DO NOT WANT TO BE IMPRESSED, I WANT TO APPRECIATE GOOD ART FOR WHAT IT IS WORTH.