A space that is celebratory of black skin, black woman, black bodies and black love, the
Afropunk festival has come to be an expression of freedom through music and art. Born in
Brooklyn, New York City, at the Academy of Music, the festival continued annually since its
debut in 2005. Welcomed by an open and enthusiastic crowd that translated in various cultural aspects like fashion and film, by individuals who dared to!
The festival was inspired by a 66-minutes documentary titled “Afro-punk”, produced at the
Right-brain of Matthew Morgan in 2002. The film introduced the atypical context of a space,
where black punk musicians could connect with one another, and flourish within a music scene
primarily dominated by white people and “white rock”.
In an interview that Morgan did with Elle Magazine’s Sitha Kentane on the 17th of May 2017, he explains that the documentary records issues which encompass the layers of the thin ropes between the political and the personal, these such as, racism and exile, alongside, loneliness and sexuality. The film inspired collectives of people who felt that their identities were overlooked, stepped on and ignored in their social spaces.
The festival inspired a network of collectives across nations to continue bringing life to an
innovative, fast-growing community, to consciously and deliberately live for the self. To be
‘WOKE’. More and more members of the crowd dared too, exposing an increasing number of
people to the feeling of daring to exist, thus, the expressive aura that represents Afropunk
translated into dynamic mediums like photography and film and expanded genres of soul and
alternative music.
From Brooklyn to California, Paris to London, the Afropunk festival has finally found its way
to the concrete jungle that is Joziburg, and man, oh man, are we excited!
We sat down with Nakhane who now goes without the Toure, for a cup of coffee to chat about his upcoming performance on the first Afropunk festival hosted by Africa, “performing at
Afropunk and sharing the stage with names like Laura Mvula is gratifying, amazing to me”.
Nakhane speaks of the space that is created by the Afropunk as a vibe that is significantly
inspiring to the young black people in South Africa, “two full days where black people can be
whoever they want and whatever they want with no judgement...hopefully” giggling softly to
himself. Nakhane is especially known for his first album release in 2010 titled ‘Brave
Confusion’ followed by his role in the movie ‘Inxeba: The Wound’. He describes his latest
music video for the song ‘Clairvoyant’ with conviction on the idea that it speaks about the
things that people in relationships do and experience, “a fight, bathing, making out... normal
things that gay black men do in relationships. It’s really not meant to shock people and if that’s
controversial then we still have a lot of work to do”. Having relearned the piano to add
something new to his 2018 album titled “You Will Not Die”, Nakhane plans to give us a little
more than a sneak peak in performing songs from the album with a touch of our favourite
oldies, and to dazzle us with an outfit or 2 by Rich Mnisi.
The festival in its significance extends further than the home-grown and international artists
that it brings, the diverse culture and aesthetic. The volunteer arm for the AFROPUNK
GLOBAL INITIATIVE known as the Afropunk [AP] Army, acts as a social tool in tackling
and confronting issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, gentrification and other systems of oppression.
Those interested in going to the festival were offered the opportunity to sign up on the official
website to give of their time to help preserve the city of Johannesburg through activities like
cleaning up Constitutional Hill and planting flowers, in exchange for 1 General Admission
Weekend Pass to attend Afropunk.
“Not everyone can afford tickets and Afropunk is something that most people want to be part
of so I am very much encouraging experiences that include people, earning your way in doing
something like that is good. It’s a good initiative and I think there should be more”, word from
musician and artist Nonku Phiri who will performing on the Afropunk stage on the night of the
31st. The independent artist describes her musical journey since her days in university as
experimental and an all-round learning experience, “just like learning that you aren’t the only
person in the world who gets shat on by a bird or whatever, it’s a give and take, and I really
just keep on growing in my own voice”. Although some people describe Nonku’s sound as
alternative, electronic and even ‘futuristic kwaito’, she prefers to describe it as a cathartic
experimental experience, “I’m informed by everything around me, in finding new ways to
communicate concepts of love, pain excitement and so on in a way that is unique to me, inspires my sound”. Some of Nonku’s most recognized songs include ‘Things We Do on the Weekend’ released in 2015 and ‘Regrettables’ released in 2016, she recently performed at the Feel Good Series show on the 25th of November 2017. Nonku explains that she is looking forward to the festival being hosted in South Africa (SA) especially because of the different flavours of local music that will be included throughout, “SA is a hub of creativity and there’s always been an interest in it. I feel like genres like kwaito and house influence a lot of the sounds that we hear today and it will be cool to navigate that with the Afropunk festival”. We look forward to her fresh set and lively performance this year (2017)!
Whether you coming through for the live music or the markets, the festive foods or the art &
times, the very first Afropunk in Africa will be one you don’t want to miss!
Photo by Cole Ndelu
Article written following Afropunk 2017