Weekly Review No. 3 - Cesar

Black M feat. Maître Gims

27th January, 2021

Cesar by Black M feat. Maître Gims. 2021

Review

What I find really interesting about the videography here is the relation that singers of African origin or ancestry make to the elements they include within their music videos. That is, elements which are very clear and evident like their African dance forms and styles, weaved and braided hairstyles, and textile. Colourful fabrics of East, West, and Central Africa like the kitenge or chitenge serves as a universal mode of fashion. Ankara, which is commonly known as “African prints” (Jean, 2014) is primarily associated with Africa because of its tribal-like patterns and motifs (Konyana, 2017). The energy within the video is in itself synonymous to their culture and the rhythm of African music. Like the repetitive back and forth or sideways movement of the head along with the body to the beat of the drums and clapping.

Sharp bodily movements and contortionism is a part of African tribal dance forms. It places emphasis on hip movement, the swinging of the arms, and movement of the entire body. Much of which is appropriated within newer styles. At its root, the music video is very much a fusion, of both the contemporary and traditional dance forms. Also, Cesar reminded me of Papaoutai (English: translates into “Papa, where are you?”) by Stromae, with its partly African-origin choreography that is complemented by pastel colours, along with discussing paternal obligation, and an overall creative direction.

Papaoutai by Stromae. 2013

We see a lot of direct reference to African culture in music videos like that of Beyoncé in BROWN SKIN GIRL. It also is a great example of Afrobeats and R&B. It is largely representative of Black/African-American/African identity. I admire the confidence – owning your worth – and the emphasis placed on an individuals’ beauty. I think BROWN SKIN GIRL really does celebrate Black femininity. The lyrics Your skin is not only dark, it shines and it tells your story carries its meaning in its relevance to the song. Black skin carries the African diaspora and African history that goes far back in time.

I personally find it enjoyable to watch their vibrancy and confidence of performing in front of the camera. Referring to the flower arrangements, Brian Smith in an article published for Flower Power Daily says, "In this video, Beyoncé uses flowers to underscore her message: that beauty for women, just like roses, comes in a vast array of colors. Roses hold an abundance of meaning across cultures but one thing remains consistent, roses are the flowers of love. "Brown Skin Girl," musically and visually, is a stunning declaration of love." (Smith, n.d.) He couldn’t say it better. Also, a special mention to the awesome lighting. Lastly, when it comes to the entireness of BROWN SKIN GIRL there really is something very upbeat and cool.

Stills from BROWN SKIN GIRL by Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, SAINt JHN, WizKid. 2020

Referencing back to Cesar, I think that having both adults and children performing in a same piece works very nicely. Of course, that here it does make sense to have little girls in tutus in a way. I mean Black M and Maître Gims are singing and rapping a rendition of Savez- vous planter les choux after all. Savez- vous planter les choux (English: Do you know how to plant cabbages?) is a French nursery rhyme or comptine (French). It has its origin from the Middle Ages, in a time that the cabbage started to become a staple of the diet of peasant workers (Wikipedia, 2020). Whether or not Wikipedia is giving me the right information or not, it says that the nursery rhyme is actually a folklore song about conception (Wikipedia, 2020). An article on LeMonde. fr published by Luc Perino explains it further (link below). Knowing this makes Cabbage Patch Kids more the creepier. Following a 19th century European fable about baby-making (Black, 2013), it is said that boys are born in cabbages, while girls are born in roses (Heitz, 2014). So, instead of Dumbo being delivered by Mr. Stork he could have grown as a cabbage.

Postcards showing an Edwardian couple inspecting cabbage patch babies.

Collected by sisters Pansy, Queenie, and Claire Nixon. Sedgebrook Grange, Whanganui East. Produced by an uncredited artist from the French School Style in 1906. Whanganui Regional Museum, New Zealand (Black, 2013)

Savez-vous planter les choux?, Luc Perino

https://www.lemonde.fr/blog/expertiseclinique/2018/03/10/savez-vous-planter-les-choux/

Bibliography

Black, S. (2013, October 1). Whanganui Museum: Where do babies come from? Retrieved from Whanganui Chronicle: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/whanganui-museum-where-do-babies-come-from/YQS34ANDSRMHXRJ5LE34RNAQNA/

Gachanja, N. (2020). Top 10 African Dance Styles of 2018. Retrieved from Africa.com: https://africa.com/top-10-african-dance-styles/

Heitz, L. (2014, January 10). Légende : Les garçons naissent dans les choux et les filles dans les roses. Retrieved from AlsaGarden: https://www.alsagarden.com/blog/legende-les-garcons-naissent-dans-les-choux/

Jean, N. B. (2014, September 19). Wax Print: What is Ankara? … What is Ankara Fabric? Retrieved from All Things Ankara: https://www.allthingsankara.com/2014/09/wax-print-what-is-ankara-what-is-ankara-fabric.html#:~:text=Ankara%20commonly%20known%20as%20%E2%80%9CAnkara,tribal%2Dlike%20patterns%20and%20motifs.

Konyana, M. (2017, April 30). The origins of African fabric in Africa. Retrieved from Kaya FM 95.9: https://www.kayafm.co.za/the-origins-of-african-fabric-in-africa/

Perino, L. (2018, March 10). Savez-vous planter les choux ? Retrieved from LeMonde.fr: https://www.lemonde.fr/blog/expertiseclinique/2018/03/10/savez-vous-planter-les-choux/

Smith, B. (n.d.). Beyoncé’s ‘Black Is King’ Is a Love Letter to Flowers. Retrieved from Flower Power Daily: https://flowerpowerdaily.com/beyonces-black-is-king-is-a-love-letter-to-flowers/

Wikipedia. (2020, December 19). Savez-vous planter les choux. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savez-vous_planter_les_choux