Music Video of the Week: 'Ranawe' Sean Sol (2020)

Sean Sol sings about leaving behind his likol (little) brother as he heads for safety to the islands. Picture: Dr. Zo Eugene Olangi.

COVID-19 may be driving a good number of us nuts, but on the brighter side of things, it is surely giving room for many to become more creative.

Our music video for this week is a living example of how some people have decided to turn the gloomy picture of this pandemic into something exciting and fun.

Directed by  Dr. Zo Eugene Olangi of Tekpiksapasifika, a medical practitioner who does filming as a side job, this music video portrays the story of how residents of the Solomon Islands capital Honiara were made to flee the city during the beginning of the global pandemic.

At that time, some areas of the Pacific region were beginning to see a steady increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. Although the Solomon Islands didn't record any cases at that time (there were still no cases when this article is written), the government did what it thought was extra precautionary- it advised Honiara residents to return to their island provinces for safety.

'Ranawe', which basically is the pidgin word for 'runaway', talks about that mass exodus of islanders from Honiara and the emotions that came with it.

In 'Ranawe', Sean Sol sings about leaving behind his likol (little) brother as he heads for safety to the islands.

Interestingly, Dr. Zo created spectacular indoor shots of Sean Sol singing with newsprints as the backdrop to portray the global impacts of the pandemic. 

At one point, a fully masked Sean Sol could be seen struggling behind a barricade in what appears to be a well-constructed scene which seems to portray how entrapped and helpless humans are at this time.

Talking about B-Rolls, Dr. Zo opted for the occasional screening of TV news footage, the busy crowds of Honiara, and a few more footage of individual acts, choices that make this video such a feast for the eyes.

Indeed everything about this video is fun to watch. From the WHO spokesperson at the outset to the exciting camera movements that seem to perfectly carry the story of the song, Dr. Zo has created such an intriguing story that every eye will definitely love.  

You can watch the video here.