Folarin Falana, better known as the Nigerian rapper Falz, did something with Childish Gambino's incisive "This Is America" music video that no one else has managed: He deconstructed it and rebuilt it for his home audience.
"This Is America" presents a picture of life in modern-day black America, with a heavy lean toward symbolism and subtext. As a piece of music, it's fine; as a short film casting a spotlight on what oppression looks like in 2018, it's a brilliant, essential work.
I can't personally speak to what daily life in Nigeria looks like, but Falz's lyrics offer a starting point for further reading. As OkayAfrica points out, he touches on "everything from the government's sluggish response to the missing Chibok Girls, the drug epidemic affecting Nigerian youth, widespread consumerism, the country's infamous Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), internet fraud, crooked pastors, Fulani herdsmen and even Big Brother Nigeria."
Much like "This Is America," Falz's remake is a layered work where something new surfaces every time you watch it.
