Leftfield - Afrika Shox (Analysis)

     'Africa Shox' by Leftfield would be in the 'Dance/Electro/Techno/Progressive House' type genre, meaning that it is reflected in the video, choreography, cinematography and mise-en-scene to appeal to the demographic, of which would be 20-25 year old people, mainly male. The obvious reference to slavery and racial issues suggests that audience would also be of a more middle class status and be relatively well educated due to the whole video being an extended metaphor for racism. 

     The way the actor is walking is similar to limbo, which could be seen as a direct intertexual reference to the poem Limbo by Edward Kamau Brathwaite where he talks about slaves' experiences on slave ships.  Some significant quotes from the poem would be 'and the music is saving me' because many people in the modern age see music as an escape, something to get away from real life and the world around them, which it served the exact same purpose on the slave ships where they would sing and play music to keep their spirits high as they were being transported to foreign lands. This is significant because it shows that perhaps their audience would be people of ethnic minority or that it is just about the music and getting lost in their work. 'Knees spread wide' is also a quote worth looking at due to the fact that it connotes the conditions of the slaves in the ships, but also connotes rape and torture. This could mean that the character in the video is constrained by society and has bad living conditions in New York, but at the same time he is being metaphorically 'raped' by the society that he lives in because he is being ignored. 'The dark deck is slavery' would be the starting quote that the artist would have probably looked at due to the fact that it has a direct and obvious connotation to slavery and therefore shows that the artist was thinking about this when constructing the video, but also the dark, urban feel to the video also connotes the 'dark deck' feel to the video and shows that perhaps there still is some element of 'slavery' and injustice within the Western culture towards the ethnic minorities.

     There is also political connotations with this video, but not just in the video itself, showing a broken, underclass type black man who is represented as invisible and ignored, also the name of the band themselves. 'Leftfield' suggests 'Left-wing' as a 'field' is very similar to a 'wing' in the meaning of 'an area of space'. Left-wing by definition means 'The liberal, socialist, or radical section of a political party or system'. Thus, showing to their audience that they are socialist-type people who are against the consumerist and capitalist Western society that we live in, therefore being against ethnic minorities being poor, lower class citizens and invisible to society, thus showing the reality and realism of how people are being treated, perhaps in the hope to change it. 

     Genre is key to this video because it conforms to the genre - in that it has a grungy and dark feel to the video, with a very masculine mise-en-scene and a strong feel to the video due to the tall buildings, straight lines, right-angles and low saturated colour. The lyrics in the song 'Afrika Bambaataa' is actually a reference to a 'Afrika Bambaataa', an American DJ from South Bronx, New York, which is where the video is set - showing a direct link to the genre and a tribute to a legend of the genre of hip-hop/electro/dance/electro-house. Bambaataa also featured on this track, therefore it shows that the use of New York City, a heavily built up, man-made, masculine place, and also the place where he grew up, lived and worked, is to tribute him and show his roots and therefore the roots of the genre, even though Leftfield are a British band, it shows they know the roots of their genre.

     The video starts with this low angle show of a very tall building amongst the mist/clouds. This is a daunting first shot and grabs the viewers attention. The low saturation and the industrial feel establishes the urban genre and the overall feel of the video in the first shot - setting the scene for the rest of the video. This shot also creates prophetic irony due to a contemporary audience knowing that the twin towers were destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attack on New York, therefore along with the fog, noir lighting and dark mise-en-scene the dystopic reality of the video is shown to the audience imminently - creating an impending sense of doom.

The medium shot of the police car next is used to show again masculinity because it is stereotypically male and there is still female oppression within the profession; thus enhancing the masculine aspect. It also is used in irony because police are meant to be enforcers of law and order, but the next shots show poverty and people in need, but the police obviously don't do anything about it. The lights on the car also suggest the lights in a nightclub, where the type of music would usually be played, therefore connoting dance and movement.

The next medium shot of the black man emerging from the back of the building is used to shock the audience and show poverty and he is used as a symbol or metaphor for racism in the Western culture and society, therefore using him to show the 'Underclass' type poverty that still exists. However, he is shown as perhaps a drug user or somebody who is at that social status due to his own actions, not the actions of others the greed of a capitalist society. 

      The video then moves on to show tracking and panning medium and long shots of the man running around New York trying to get people to help him, however nobody responds to him and he is left alone. This is representation of being ignored by society, which many of these people are. 

      This long shot of the man in the crowd shows the audience that he is outcast because he is the centre of the image and he is of a minority by being black and people do not seem concerned with him looking ill and dying. 

 The medium/close up shot of his legs, show him as frail and weak and also is a reference to the slaves travelling from Africa to the Americas, as they were not fed properly and became very ill and weak. 

The juxtaposition of the shot of the man falling to the ground next to the of 'WALK' in big white letters on the lights, show irony. It shows irony in that the man cannot walk therefore he cannot use the sign, but it also is ironic in the sense that society tells him to do something, but he cannot conform because he is oppressed. It is also ironic that the writing is white, whereas the man is black, showing that perhaps the black man does not conform to a white society - a continued metaphor for racism. 

    The medium shot of the white man looking up at the black man from his newspaper followed by a close up shot of him looking back down at his paper reflects the white superiority in society and that he believes that he is above the black man and thus doesn't need to help him even when his arm falls off. 

   The dramatic close up shot of the black man's arm falling off shows a broken man, consumed up by society and not being looked after the same as other people. 


    The long shot of the black man from the perspective of the car then a close up of his face shows him to be scared of fate and death, but at the same time when he dies he turns into ashes - which shows him as nothing and dust amongst a city and society. Also the fact that he is hit by a New York Yellow Taxi and it is such an iconic part of the New York culture shows that he is eaten up by the culture itself and therefore is not using the society the same as everyone else, therefore showing his oppression and lower class status; not having equal opportunities. 
      

     The shots of the white men break dancing shows a white society trying to hijack black people's culture due to break dancing originating from black people and the slave ships, along with Capoeira, a martial art, used on the ships to look like a dance, but it was actually used to fight when handcuffed by chains. Therefore by white people doing this dance is sort of devalues the meaning of it. The fact that the breakdancing and main referencing to the music is underground shows that Leftfield's music is also underground and the people listening to it will be part of the same underground genre.

     The low angle shot of this 'God-like' figure, who is also black, coming to help the protagonist, shows to the audience that there is some good in the society and that there are some black people who are not completely oppressed by the culture and are willing to help the protagonist.