It has been a while since I have had the pleasure of gracing
all of my incredible readers with an article and now I believe it is time.
First and foremost, I apologize; a mental vacation and a chance to dance among
neon lights with Chilean men and friends of Dorothy was desperately needed-so I
set the laptop aside and went out on a few adventures. Rest assured, I have returned to write even
more interesting tales on counter culture, music and travel-cheers, salute,
kompei, nazdravi!
I began my writing
crusade on the South African underground music scene and I will continue now
with a conversation that could easily go on for hours and days over wine and
what not in Letna Park or for now Skype.
Keith Jones is one of the brilliant minds behind the documentary Punk in
Africa and he is also a very good friend of mine, as I was his intern nearly 3
years ago and needless to say just as Prague opened my mind to music art and
counterculture; Keith Jones opened my mind to South Africa and all that it is and
all that it was. I refuse to call this
piece an “interview” because the term “interview” implies some type of
formality. Keith and I have been formal only once in our speaking and that was
the day we first met in Prague at an Art Nouveau café downtown where we smoked
French cigarettes and drank tiny coffees from demitasse cups.
Punk In Africa
was envisioned by Keith Jones and Deon Maas after they finished their earlier
documentary Durban Poison. Keith
and Deon took a road trip and started discussing the South African punk
movement, and just after the conversation a piece on the Matsuli Music blog led
them to discover the band National
Wake, which had been formed in 1978 by guitarist Ivan Kadey and the Khoza
brothers from Soweto. The majority of
the members of National Wake were at the time living illegally together in a
group house despite the rule of apartheid and were often subjected to petty
charges and regular harassment by local authorities. It was the story of National Wake among many
other stories that helped to mold and sculpt Punk in Africa as an
essentially political story, but one told first and foremost through music. Music
is at the root of the soul of African Culture, music shapes the understanding
of African culture and society through its sounds and stories.
Punk In Africa has been an invaluable tool for connecting musicians from different generations. As Hog Hogg Hoggidy Hog hadn’t heard the music of National Wake or Wild Youth, Wild Youth may not have known that the Hogs existed. Through Punk in Africa, people became more connected across generations, meaning that more stories were shared, ideas understood and new friendships made. This film helps musicians transcend and understand different generations as well as generation gaps in music.
This film also examines the situation under apartheid and what this meant to musicians and artists living under those absurd rules within Africa. Knowing the accounts of several individuals whom lived in South Africa shortly after the rule of apartheid ended I can only fathom what it was like to live with such rules while trying to create art in a society which laws refused to allow to homogenize. Confronting apartheid is an issue that artists from around the world should take a lesson from. Art is a labour of love and courage, artists and musicians have to rebel against the norm and break the rules to create something truly inspiring. Musicians and artists growing up under apartheid not only understood the consequences of making unique and powerful music, they also understood that this was about making something original.
Punk in Africa shows the world that drive, courage, determination and the desire to break down common rules for creativity’s sake can prove to be an exceptional combination, also when it comes down to gaining notoriety in the international film festival scene. Punk In Africa first gained press at South By Southwest 2011, and has since been at 30 different International Film Festivals including the recent New York Film Festival. It was never about money or prestige for Jones or his co-conspirator Deon Maas, rather about telling a unique diverse and original story of the underground countercultural scenes that they not only witnessed but inhabited regularly. Jones and Maas were very careful not to fall into any clichĂ© traps with Punk In Africa; the film is 100% for Africa by Africa-keeping this mantra makes the film even more international, you do not see studded jackets and Mohawks in Punk in Africa, you hear music and understand the struggle that African culture dealt with in the times of Apartheid.
As Keith moves
forward with a new project, he will be focusing on the alternative music and
culture of the '80s generation in Prague.
As Punk in Africa broke molds and challenged thoughts, opened
doors and defied common societal nomenclatures, I know we can expect nothing
less with Keith’s new film.
When it comes down to art and artistic endeavors Keith and I both agree that artists must do things independently by yourself without compromise: try to experiment and never walk away from an idea. Don Letts (one of Keith’s mentors) stated “A good idea attempted is better than a bad Idea perfected” People should live without regret. Artists don’t need structures, money or institutions to do things in independent or unique ways, it is imperative that artists find ways to make something out of nothing.
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| PUNK IN AFRICA: Director Keith Jones and producer Jefe Brown at the International Film Festiva in Innsbruck |
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| Deon Maas (Photo by Rob Weedman) |
Punk In Africa has been an invaluable tool for connecting musicians from different generations. As Hog Hogg Hoggidy Hog hadn’t heard the music of National Wake or Wild Youth, Wild Youth may not have known that the Hogs existed. Through Punk in Africa, people became more connected across generations, meaning that more stories were shared, ideas understood and new friendships made. This film helps musicians transcend and understand different generations as well as generation gaps in music.
This film also examines the situation under apartheid and what this meant to musicians and artists living under those absurd rules within Africa. Knowing the accounts of several individuals whom lived in South Africa shortly after the rule of apartheid ended I can only fathom what it was like to live with such rules while trying to create art in a society which laws refused to allow to homogenize. Confronting apartheid is an issue that artists from around the world should take a lesson from. Art is a labour of love and courage, artists and musicians have to rebel against the norm and break the rules to create something truly inspiring. Musicians and artists growing up under apartheid not only understood the consequences of making unique and powerful music, they also understood that this was about making something original.
Punk in Africa shows the world that drive, courage, determination and the desire to break down common rules for creativity’s sake can prove to be an exceptional combination, also when it comes down to gaining notoriety in the international film festival scene. Punk In Africa first gained press at South By Southwest 2011, and has since been at 30 different International Film Festivals including the recent New York Film Festival. It was never about money or prestige for Jones or his co-conspirator Deon Maas, rather about telling a unique diverse and original story of the underground countercultural scenes that they not only witnessed but inhabited regularly. Jones and Maas were very careful not to fall into any clichĂ© traps with Punk In Africa; the film is 100% for Africa by Africa-keeping this mantra makes the film even more international, you do not see studded jackets and Mohawks in Punk in Africa, you hear music and understand the struggle that African culture dealt with in the times of Apartheid.
 |
| National Wake (Photo by Robin Muir) |
When it comes down to art and artistic endeavors Keith and I both agree that artists must do things independently by yourself without compromise: try to experiment and never walk away from an idea. Don Letts (one of Keith’s mentors) stated “A good idea attempted is better than a bad Idea perfected” People should live without regret. Artists don’t need structures, money or institutions to do things in independent or unique ways, it is imperative that artists find ways to make something out of nothing.
Creating great art is bound in struggle, courage and a
vision-I think of apartheid, I dream of North Korea and I think of every person
who stood up for their beliefs. I
contemplate the mass genocides that have plagued our global society-we who have
never felt that kind of oppression may never truly grasp what guerrilla art is
all about. Paying homage to every artist around the world for their ability to
stand up and condemn the man is essential for any true understanding of great
revolutionary art.
**Jones says I need to summarize this article to end it and because he is a journalism instructor through NYU in Prague he is obligated and required to tell me this nevertheless as an artist it is my job to remind him to go “fuck himself and have a nice day” which is exactly what I did. I cannot think of a better way to end this article then on that note-sort of summarizes everything now doesn’t it?
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Pertinent Links:
Punk in Africa Official
Punk in Africa on Facebook
National Wake on Facebook
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| DVD (Czech Republic) front cover, April 2012 release |
**Jones says I need to summarize this article to end it and because he is a journalism instructor through NYU in Prague he is obligated and required to tell me this nevertheless as an artist it is my job to remind him to go “fuck himself and have a nice day” which is exactly what I did. I cannot think of a better way to end this article then on that note-sort of summarizes everything now doesn’t it?
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Pertinent Links:
Punk in Africa Official
Punk in Africa on Facebook
National Wake on Facebook
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