Florian Joahn, just signed to COMPULSORY, directs a hallucinatory and impactful video for Dutch-Ghanian artist Akwasi. 

"It is not the responsibility of the black artist to educate the white audience on racism. It is the responsibility of the black artist to live out their truth despite the racism they face." This statement opens the latest visuals for the track Extase, and sets the tone for the whole piece. 

What follows is a kaleidoscope of imagery exploring black culture and black history, with Akwasi overcoming the endemic silencing of artists of colour. A series of conceptual vignettes explore various instances of racism - slavery, police brutality, the disproportionate violence against LGBTQ people. Intercut with these shots are powerful performance setups, with Akwasi behind a flurry of microphones, living and speaking his truth.

The frenetic editing style and time manipulation create a distorted effect throughout, blurring the lines between each scene, suggesting that whilst these images can be interpreted singularly, they all originate from the same history and truth. An incredibly well-executed vision with a top-notch performance from Akwasi.