They say a picture is worth a thousand words. A million people could look at the same image and all of them could come up with their own personal idea of what is being expressed. The beauty of a visual motif is that the meaning lies within the eye of the viewer and they can express what they believe anyway they want. Borders by M.I.A is a powerful music video that brings out emotion in the viewer. Feelings of sadness, shock, grief are just some that come to mind when thinking about the video as a whole. The music video displays a great lack of vibrant color, a sense of pure chaos, and overall feeling of being trapped by fences. These visual motifs help exemplify the title of the music video, “Borders”, because it gives off the idea that these people are confined and trapped not only physically but also mentally because they are different to those in other societies.The music video as a whole emphasizes and portrays the struggle in the life of refugees. M.I.A wants her audience to know that this is a problem in the world we live in and that everything is not how we think. There are people struggling over seas and in foreign countries and people can help by simply accepting people in both a physical manner and an emotional manner by looking past differences. The visual motif of the fences is most certainly the most vital part of this video because the scenes that involve the fences portray absolute chaos and confinement of these refugees.

Throughout this visual motif there are recurring patterns that draw your eye. One of the strongest patterns in the video is the use of color; or in better words, the lack of color. From beginning to end there is a prolific use dull colors not only in the clothes of M.I.A, but also in the clothing of the extras in the background; along with the background as a whole being a dreary brown desert. Most of the outfits worn in the music video by M.I.A include colors such as light brown or a dull orange, while the extras who are seldom shown with great detail are mostly wearing black clothing with faded pants. The use of clothing is hints at a deeper meaning particularly in one scene; the boat scene, times 1:37-1:44. At this point in the video M.I.A is sporting a pale orange rain jacket, but her clothing isn’t even the main point. The extras in the scene are all wearing the same tan rain jacket and are standing at attention, their unflinching faces staring straight out into the distance without the slightest movement. I concur that in this scene specifically more than any other she is highlighting the lack of individualism the refugees are held to in their lives. These people are held to standards and stereotypes that put them in categories that are difficult to escape from and most rarely do, which again ties back to the theme of borders put on them either manmade or naturally occurring. Furthermore, the absence of color on all accounts through the video expresses the same point. The refugees are assumed to be the people they are by society, and society usually deems them in a negative manner because they are minorities and different from the “normal” people. 

The refugees are certainly struggling in the music video. Their prime reason for this very apparent conflict is the fact they are held back both physical barriers and barriers that are virtually hung over their head by people outside of their culture. Physically, these people are bound to their rough life by fences. They are unable to successfully flee their country because they are incapable of doing so due regulations. Whether it be fences, immigration policies, or politics these people can’t escape these borders simply because of the difficulty of the task. Deep-seated in the music video is also the idea that these people are confined to these borders because of their image to the rest of society. In our world today it is clear that racial prejudice is sadly alive and well and these people have fallen victim to this horrible mindset. These refugees will always be bound to these borders because others will only see them as the people they were in their country and not new assimilated citizens. Ultimately, M.I.A expresses that these people will not be accepted no matter where they go thanks to their background. People will not see them for the people they are but rather for the culture they came from. 

Moreover, the tangle elements in the background provide food for thought when analyzing the video as a whole. Specifically, the fences. Early in the video as well as the end of the video, we are shown two fences. One medium sized fence with barbed wire on top and on that seems to be double it’s size right behind it. Oddly enough, when we think of physical borders we think of huge fences with barbed wire that are tough to get around escape through. However, in the video none of the refugees are on that barbed wire fence, in fact, they are beyond it and rather held back by the taller fence without barbed wire on it. These people are stuck either climbing that fence or are in complete pandemonium running around. From this I conclude that M.I.A is representing that the real struggle of these refugees is not over after these people escape that barbed wire fence and there are still several struggles that they still face. The taller fence without the barbed wire to me represents much more than a physical struggle, but an eternal one. It represents the struggle of naturalization in the place they choose to go, the struggle to fit in with the new society they aim to live in, and the overwhelming struggle to be accepted. Thousands of immigrants escape their country for multiple reasons everyday but their struggle never seems to stop and this fence symbolizes that seemingly eternal struggle that they face. The second fence is twice as big because the troubles are even greater than before. 

Likewise, at the end of the video we are brought back to that second fence but this time things are calm and it is dark with the only light being shined upon M.I.A. At first, the first fence with the barbed wire is shown but when the video continues that fence is left behind and we slowly are zoomed in to the M.I.A standing on the second fence. Additionally, she is not the only one there. There are around 30 refugees standing with her but they are in the dark and most interestingly they are on the opposite side of M.I.A. This ending scene to me is the most substantial in the whole video because I assert that it has more than one meaning. Like previously stated, I argue that these refugees are shown in the dark because of their lack of individualism and their struggle to become their own successful people in a new world. Their presence in the dark ironically illuminates their lack of hope for a bright future. 

The life of refugees is certainly not an easy one. As we see in the music video, they live a life where they struggle mentally and physically either by actual borders or the hardships of breaking stereotypes in a new society. M.I.A highlights several aspects of their life and urges the viewers to take what they can from the video. Borders is a powerful visual motif that draws out emotion as well as connotations of struggle and hardship. 