Carl Houston Mc Millan wins 2017 Jameson Music Video Grant

‘Impepho’ is a powerful high-energy track with lyrics fusing slang phrases in Sotho, Pedi, Tswana and Zulu.

Morena Leraba is a musician and shepherd from Lesotho whose lyrics, sounds and aesthetics are deeply rooted in tradition. His delivery is influenced by the poetic freestyles that the shepherds perform. ManKind is a fresh voice hailing from and making waves in the heart of Johannesburg.

Mc Millan was selected from 550 entries, after a judging panel of industry experts met with the Top 10 for their treatment presentations.

Mc Millan’s winning concept

The Impepho video is a visual exploration and celebration of Basotho shepherd culture in the highlands of Lesotho.

To be shot on location, the music video will take you to the heart of Lesotho, where the sun rises to reveal a barren mountainous landscape. On this particular day, a clay hut is burning. Smoke peels out. Flames erupt. A group of Basotho shepherds watch, proudly. They’re dressed in signature grey blankets, customised balaclavas, handmade jewellery. Some are holding dogs, others have livestock on their shoulders.

Then the shepherds head to a dirt racing track. Against this surreal mountain backdrop a local horse race is about to start. More and more shepherds gather in the icy wind. Money is being passed around, bets are being placed and horses are checked; teeth, hooves, legs, etc. Jockeys get ready. They line up. The atmosphere intensifies.

The signal goes. A thunderous sound erupts as muscles bulge, with dust everywhere. The shepherds cheer, walking sticks raised in celebration.

As the sun sets and the sky turns pink the shepherds find a tavern, where a group of flashy visitors from the city arrive. They seem out of place, territorial. A dance battle ensues. The visitors perform series of energetic break dance moves. Unimpressed, the shepherds respond with a traditional Sesotho dance. They simply move their chests to the beat, majestically. Thump, thump.

Exploring the tensions between rural and urban, traditional and modern, African and Western, the music video will offer a refreshing and honest look into an authentically African subculture that’s seemingly survived external influences.

Who is Mc Millan

Carl Houston Mc Millan is a director and writer living between South Africa and Lesotho, the majority of his work explores the latter. More about him and his work can be viewed here.

Find out who helped us choose the winner here, and more about the Jameson Music Grant video here.