DepSoc Reviews: BLVCK + WOMVN by OGECHI

Klara

Recently we were contacted by OGECHI's press team and asked to review her new music video (out 22nd October 2017) called BLVCK + WOMVN. If I'm honest I hadn't heard of her before but the information the company sent to me she is a poet, author, recording artist and dancer. She made her debut at only 17 years old in 2015 and I'm all for supporting young artists, and Amber and Ana agreed so we decided to go ahead with the review. The lyrics are a poem so they're very deep and explore race and femininity which I personally liked, I think these are important topics which are often avoided due to perceived taboos. The video also depicts a woman dancing while onlookers ignore or glance over her which I think represents the struggle for women, particularly those of colour, to be noticed for their work. Overall I would definitely recommend watching this music video.

Amber

I listened to the video first out of us, and really, really enjoyed it, in terms of aesthetic, music, and substance. I loved the strength of Ogechi, even showing through the bare-bones title, and shows intersectionalism from her perspective of a woman, who is also black. We all picked out the symbolism of the solitary dancer: rejected by her peers and still dancing on. In terms of musical content, I thought the opening was Beyonce-during-Formation-reminiscent but then she really came into her own. She directly addressed issues such as misogyny and other struggles she has experienced, and obviously, with her album entitled 'Intersectional Blvckness' she is highly aware of the importance of intersectionalism, which was fab. Not only is the content very personal and informed, but the music is great too, and it works so well as a song, rather than just as poetry.

Ana

Having not heard of the artist before I was curious as to what the video will be like and was pleasantly surprised. Being quite interested in the issues surrounding gender and race, I found the video to be an insightful and powerful take on the intersection between the two. The portrayal of a woman as a lone dancer voiced several messages to me; it was both a depiction of the struggle women go through and the strength they have to keep going. Another element which I found interesting is that at the end of the music video the performer is silenced by a man, which illustrates the ignorance and lack of engagement with the art produced by women of colour, and therefore the lack of attention the messages those powerful lyrics send to the listener. I would definitely recommend watching this video as it forces the audience to engage with the struggles of women, and more specifically women of colour and further comment on the ignorance exhibited towards the said issues by society.