The last weekend of my summer was spent at the greatest hub for beautiful blackness, alternative beats, punk fashion and play. This was my first time attending the world re-owned music festival AFROPUNK in Brooklyn, New York. Upon arrival, what appeared to be a high-esteemed fashion show of colourful mind-bending looks was just the line up to the critically acclaimed 11th annual festival. Once inside the massive Commodore Barry Park, I was exposed to a yellow-hued mist of sand and the heat from the sun reflecting the glow of melanin skin and bodies moving rhythmically to the soulful sounds of the vibrant music. I quickly realized that I was in the presence of black excellence and it was exactly what I needed.

The two-day festival has been held annually in Brooklyn since 2005 and has grown exponentially since its launch. In the past several years AFROPUNK has expanded to several other locations including Paris and London. Most recently, Atlanta had its inaugural fest in 2015. The festival seeks cities that have a large black population with established black hub music scenes. Oakland, Chicago and Detroit are cities that AFROPUNK may potentially enter in upcoming years. Perhaps, even Toronto- one day.

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Attending AFROPUNK revived my friends and I as we joined epic dance pits to twerk, vogue and vibe to our favourite DJS and performers. Some of the notable acts included Ice Cube + N.W.A, Janelle Monae, The Internet, Tyler the Creator, George Clinton, Flying Lotus and many more. Newer acts such as Kamau and Seinabo Sey were nice to see as AFROPUNK does a great job of acquiring performers that represent the culture of varying sizes of popularity. Dizzyingly, I stumbled from meeting Youtube stars like HeyFranHey and ChescaLeigh to meeting podcast legends Kid Fury and Crissle of The Read to seeing the very popular Black Lives Matter activist Deray McKesson. It was truly disorienting to be surrounded by so much greatness at the same time.

In light of the (racially-charged) killings, Abdirahman Abdi, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, the (homophobia driven) killings of the 49 attendees at PULSE nightclub, and the (derailing) media coverage of Black Lives Matter Toronto at Pride this year, black communities everywhere are in desperate need of healing amidst the severe anti-blackness in the social climate of 2016. Social media hashtags such as #CarefreeBlackKids2016 by Heben Nigatu and #BlackBoyJoy by Chance the Rapper were successful attempts to celebrate black happiness and challenge the stereotypes that define blackness in mainstream media. There was also a call out to unplug from social media to avoid race-based trauma that is triggered by viral videos of dead black bodies circulating the internet. Thus, ending the summer with a music festival that celebrated blackness, black businesses, art, activisms and community organizing was exactly what was needed to affirm hope and recharge disheartened communities.

 

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The theme of AFROPUNK this year was “Power to the Party.” The festival served way more than an annual gathering of fabulous artists by providing a deeply cultural experience that speaks to the roots of black punk identity and the movements’ place in radical arts-based political thinking. The theme of “Power to the Party” speaks to the importance of dance as resistance- a political engagement through art form. Dance as resistance is popularly known to be rooted in legacies of slavery in which Africans resisted, but also communicated and expressed themselves through cultural forms of dance. “Power to the Party” may also be a play on words- rather than literal meaning of party as a gathering for recreational purposes, perhaps “party” is referring to the political organizing of ideas and the promotion of collective goods. Either meaning fits the notion that the personal become political with music, dance, fashion and community because blackness is so essential and powerful to embodying those themes.

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Even amidst the widespread gentrification plaguing Brooklyn and the white people in dashikis across from me, the non-stop flow of love and togetherness overpowered the constant turmoil black people face for those two days. I felt a sense of calmness and utter joy for what is to come of my afro-futuristic generation; a generation that has no tolerance for hate and phobias. A generation in which inclusion is not seen as accommodation, but the obvious norm. A generation that has seamlessly interwoven party into politics to serve the revolutions to come.

By Sarah Edo

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