Sidney Burden

Prof.Riley

English 1201

30 April 2021

United Yet Divided

The two music videos ¨This is America¨ by Childish Gambino, and

¨This is Nigeria¨by Falz, portray a dark background to help spark change

within their country. Both music videos feature violence and unsettling

scenes to demonstrate the cruelty within both countries. Falz and Childish

Gambino display graphic scenes and vague lyrics to demonstrate what

change is needed in Nigeria and the United States.

In the ¨This is America¨ video Childish Gambino wants viewers to

focus on the gun violence that happens in America. The video takes place

in a warehouse and begins with Childish Gambino dancing to music, then

the video suddenly turns dark by Gambino shooting an innocent guitarist

in the head. After every shooting Gambino states ¨This is America/ don't

catch you slippin up¨. The music video then goes on to show black school

children dancing while violence partakes in the background. This part

represents how distracted Americans are by the violence and racism we

face. The music video features the music artist Childish Gambino,

schoolgirls, a choir, and people who participate in the violent acts seen

throughout the music video.

 In the ¨This is America¨ music video Childish Gambino makes a

point to include some scenes that are historical events. In the video, a

choir group of African Americans is seen singing and dancing suddenly,

the music turns dark and the choir is shot down by Gambino. This scene is

supposed to represent when, in 2015, a white supremacist gunned down a

choir group of 9 African Americans within the basement of a church. The

¨This is America¨ song appeals to pathos and logos. Logos appeared by

the obvious violence and hidden messages that established viewers to want

change. The choir shooting, the body getting dragged, the guns, the gangs.

Childish Gambino portrays pathos by showing the harsh narrative of

attacks that surrounds Americans without us knowing. The video displays

gun violence in America that promotes viewers to want to change our

narrative. The video makes viewers uncomfortable by the different music

tones and the violence seen throughout the music video. The ¨This is

America¨ video features many current events and events that have

happened in the past like the choir shooting. The music video is intended

for an older audience based on the violence featured in the video. This

song seems to be more directed towards lower to middle-class Americans

to spark change within the communities.

In the ¨This is Nigeria¨ music video, Falz wants to convey change

by presenting the violence and corruption seen in Nigeria. The music

video shows gang violence, stealing, and people fighting. This song takes

place in a big open warehouse. The video starts out with the artist Falz
listening to the radio, kids playing, and a man playing the guitar. Quickly

the beat changes and violence starts to take effect. A man is shot dead,

there is gang violence, and stealing. The song states that ¨police stations

close by 6¨ and ¨politician wey steal some billion and billion e no dey go

prison-o¨. Instead of how the original version, ¨This is America¨, states

¨This is America/don't catch you slippin up¨ the remixed version states

¨This is Nigeria/ look how we livin uh/everybody be criminal¨. The video

features school girls, Falz, SCARS, and criminals partaking in violence.

This music video also relates to historical and current events. The

lyrics state ¨no electricity daily o¨ this is a common problem in Nigeria. In

the music video SARS (a police force) is seen brutally kicking and hitting

two young men. In 2016 according to a report from Amnesty

International, SARS was cited for accepting bribes, using torture methods,

and using degrading methods to detain a person in custody. There has also

been a 50-year ongoing war in Nigeria which may be a reason for some of

the violence. The music video uses pathos and logos to sway viewers to

want to improve their country. The video appeals to pathos by allowing

viewers to witness the harsh reality of Nigeria. ¨This is Nigeria¨ shows

logos by demonstrating the apparent changes that are needed to be made to

create a more peaceful society. The music video displays violence, drugs,

police brutality, and the corruption featured within the government. This

gives viewers an unsettling feeling that promotes communities to want

change in their society. Many of the events displayed in the video are a
reference to a historical event that actually happened or an event that is

currently happening. The ¨This is Nigeria¨ song is intended for older

listeners based on the explicit scenes. This song is directed towards

everyone to show the corruption that is happening in Nigeria and to

hopefully influence other nations to see some of the corruption that is

presented in their nation. The song is especially directed towards Nigerian

people to open their eyes and to spark change within their community.

Overall, both versions, ¨This is America¨ and ¨This is Nigeria¨ are

very similar. Both artists wrote this song with the intention to spark

change within their country. Falz focused more on corruption and violence

whereas, Childish Gambino focused, more specifically, on gun violence.

Both music videos are filmed within a warehouse and show explicit scenes

of violence. The music videos have many similar attributes yet, they are

also quite different. Hopefully, by watching the music videos viewers will

be persuaded to change so that Nigeria and America can become a more

unified nation.
 Citations:

Gambino,Childish. ¨This is America¨. RCA , 7 May 2018,

https://www.youtube.com/watch/VYOjWnS4cMY. Accessed 16 February 2021.

Flaz. ¨This is Nigeria¨. Falz, 25 May 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=UW_xEqCWrm0. Accessed 16 February 2021.