Tiwa Savage’s Koroba is a vibrant, visually arresting music video that blends Afrobeat rhythms with bold aesthetics and unapologetic femininity. But beneath its catchy beat and colorful visuals lies a deeper question: who controls the narrative of the Black female body in popular media? Using Laura Mulvey’s theory of the Male Gaze and bell hooks’ concept of the Oppositional Gaze, this essay explores how Koroba navigates the complex terrain between empowerment and commodification in the representation of Black Nigerian womanhood.
The Male Gaze and the Spectacle of Femininity
Laura Mulvey’s seminal essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975) introduced the concept of the male gaze, arguing that mainstream visual media often positions women as passive objects of heterosexual male desire. In this framework, the camera becomes an extension of the male viewer’s gaze, lingering on the female body in ways that fragment and objectify it.
In Koroba, this dynamic is evident in the way the camera frequently frames Tiwa Savage’s body. Close-up shots of her hips, legs, and cleavage—often accentuated by tight, revealing outfits—suggest a visual language designed to entice. The choreography, while confident and assertive, is also stylized in a way that aligns with conventional standards of sexual appeal. The lighting and camera angles often highlight her skin and curves, reinforcing her role as a visual spectacle.
This framing aligns with Mulvey’s assertion that women in visual media are often reduced to “to-be-looked-at-ness,” where their value is tied to their physical appearance rather than their agency or voice. Even though Tiwa is the central figure in the video, the way her body is presented raises questions about whether she is in control of her image—or whether she is being shaped by the expectations of a male-dominated industry.
bell hooks and the Power of the Oppositional Gaze
bell hooks’ concept of the oppositional gaze offers a powerful counterpoint to Mulvey’s theory. In her 1992 essay The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators, hooks argues that Black women have historically been denied the right to look—to claim visual agency—and that developing a critical gaze is an act of resistance against both racial and gendered oppression.
From this perspective, a Black feminist viewer might reject the objectifying elements of Koroba and instead focus on how Tiwa Savage reclaims her image. For instance, in one scene, a man attempts to touch her without consent, and she responds with a slap—a moment of defiance that asserts her bodily autonomy. Her lyrics, too, are laced with irony and critique: “I no come this life to suffer,” she sings, flipping the script on traditional narratives of female submission.
The oppositional gaze allows viewers to see Tiwa not just as a sexualized figure, but as a woman who is navigating—and challenging—the structures that seek to define her. Her bold fashion choices, confident posture, and direct eye contact with the camera can be read as acts of self-definition, rather than submission. In this reading, Koroba becomes a site of resistance, where Tiwa uses the tools of the industry to assert her own narrative.
Empowerment or Commodification?
The tension between empowerment and commodification is at the heart of Koroba. On one hand, Tiwa Savage appears in control—she owns her sexuality, commands attention, and refuses to be silenced. On the other hand, the visual language of the video often conforms to the aesthetics of the male gaze, raising concerns about whether her empowerment is being packaged for consumption.
This duality is not unique to Tiwa Savage. As a global pop star operating within a commercial industry, she must navigate the fine line between authenticity and marketability. Her representation in Koroba reflects this balancing act: she is both the subject and the object, the performer and the product.
bell hooks reminds us that the oppositional gaze is not just about critique—it’s about possibility. It invites viewers to look beyond surface-level interpretations and to consider the deeper meanings embedded in visual culture. In the case of Koroba, this means recognizing both the constraints and the agency at play in Tiwa Savage’s performance.
Conclusion
Tiwa Savage’s Koroba is a rich text for exploring the dynamics of visual representation, particularly as they relate to Black Nigerian femininity. Through the lens of Laura Mulvey’s male gaze, we see how the video risks reducing Tiwa to a spectacle for male pleasure. But through bell hooks’ oppositional gaze, we uncover a more complex narrative—one of resistance, self-definition, and cultural pride.
Ultimately, the question of who owns Tiwa Savage’s image remains open. Perhaps the answer lies not in choosing between empowerment and commodification, but in acknowledging that both can coexist—and that the power of the gaze lies in how we choose to see.
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