Synopsis

Enya performs "Storms in Africa" against a dreamlike landscape of sunlit plains, dramatic skies, wildlife, and distant village life. Her image is blended into the scenery through layered visual effects, while two children appear alongside her during the song's most memorable passages. The video favors atmosphere over narrative, creating a stylized vision of Africa that mirrors the track's sweeping keyboards, choral vocals, and hand percussion. Its slow-moving images and warm colors give the performance an otherworldly, almost cinematic quality.

Factoids & Trivia

• The music video uses the English-language recording, "Storms in Africa (Part II)," rather than the original Irish-language version that first appeared on Enya's 1988 album *Watermark*.

• Enya was filmed singing against a blue background. Her performance was then electronically combined with specially created landscape and atmospheric effects, giving the video its layered, floating appearance.

• The song's title was chosen after Enya had developed its melody on a Roland Juno-60 synthesizer. The instrument's arpeggiator helped shape the repeating musical pattern that became the track's foundation.

• The percussion was designed to suggest unrest and movement. Chris Hughes played rototoms and African hand drums, while Nicky Ryan contributed handclaps.

• "Storms in Africa (Part II)" was released as a single in 1989 and later appeared as a bonus track on some editions of *Watermark*. The video is consequently sometimes labeled simply "Storms in Africa," even though it uses the English version.

• The song later appeared on the soundtrack to the 1990 romantic comedy *Green Card* and was used for a period as the theme music of Australian airline Ansett Airlines.