By Kevin Kriedemann
Published October 6, 2016
An African music star has released a video that is hailed as being an-all Africa affair.
The music video is for One Source, a track South African motswako star, Khuli Chana, premiered at the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA) Nominee Announcement on September 21, 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The video not only features Los Angeles (California)-born Kenyan songwriter/singer Victoria Kimani alongside Ghana’s Sarkodie and VVIP but it was shot in Ghana, produced in South Africa and directed by Zimbabwean-born, South Africa-based Sunu Gonera.
“Collaboration is the fire that takes you to the next level,” says Khuli Chana, who’s currently nominated at the MAMAs for Best Collaboration for his work on Baddest with AKA, Burna Boy and Yanga. “When you have different styles with different energies, that always sparks something magical.”
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One Source is the first track from Chana’s upcoming concept album, a musical collaboration with the greatest from Africa.
“I’m reinventing myself,” says the multiple South African Music Awards (SAMA) winner who believes pan-African collaboration is long overdue. “I’m traveling the continent on a search to find something new, to make something meaningful, a game-changer. We’re doing what we should have done a long time ago, owning who we are as Africans and coming together and breaking these boundaries for good, for the better. It’s been an amazing journey. I’ve grown by connecting with other trailblazers. Each has their own unique style but a shared passion to put a spotlight on Africa.”
This appears to resonate with Gonera who says, “I wanted this music video to be a celebration of our African-ness, to show the creative flame burning across the continent.”
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Sunu Gonera embraces the spirit of collaboration driving the project, bringing in the Afrofuturism of Kenyan digital artist and photographer Osborne Macharia and the vibrant colours of Ghanaian street artist Moh Awudu as examples of how Africa is redefining its image.
In the build-up to the MAMAs, MTV is flighting four short documentaries about the intense creative process behind the making of One Source. These documentaries also feature Kgaugelo “KG†Choabi and Nigeria’s The Venus Bushfires.
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The campaign is a follow-up to 2015’s Africa is Absolut campaign, which also featured Khuli Chana and won Silver for Native VML and Arcade Content in the Change category at the 2016 APEX Awards.
“It’s been a dream job, which felt like it was written specifically for me,” says Gonera. “Khuli, Native VML and Absolut all share my vision to show the world a different side of Africa, so it’s been a true collaboration and an amazing experience. This is my love letter to Africa. For the first time since I started in this business, I finally feel like I’ve found my voice.”
