By Alexandra Barbera
“AFROPUNK is defining culture by the collective creative actions of the individual and the group. It is a safe place, a blank space to freak out in, to construct a new reality, to live your life as you see fit, while making sense of the world around you.”
THE VIBE
Being at AFROPUNK Brooklyn felt like I was walking into another world, a world where love trumped hate. AFROPUNK— the collaboration of art, beauty, fashion, music, and culture. What more could a person ask for? I felt an immediate weight of stress leave my shoulders as I was surrounded by an endless sea of melanin. People were dressed to freely represent their inner selves. People danced and sang for themselves and not for who was watching. I saw my culture everywhere I looked. It was the first time I was in an environment where people of color were the majority and were being celebrated as such. It was the first time I experienced people of color as the headliners of a major festival. It was the first time I felt I could be myself without judgement. I was mesmerized by the flamboyantly loud outfits, bright colored hair, body jewelry, leather chokers, flower crowns, afros, wild makeup, tattoos, and the constant smiles and laughs of everyone around me.
People walked up to me and expressed a genuine love that is hard to put into words. But it was as if I had known them for a long time and was seeing an old friend again. I was taken off guard by this, as we are often consumed with competing against one another and questioning ourselves as we are.
THE MISSION
But here it was not about tearing others down to build yourself up, it was about spreading equal love toward one another and accepting ourselves as we are. Throughout the festival there were posted signs of their mission statement, “NO SEXISM, NO RACISM, NO ALBINISM, NO AGEISM, NO HOMOPHOBIA, NO FATPHOBIA, NO TRANSPHOBIA, NO HATEFULNESS.” Artists would repeat this statement before their set, and we all felt the words radiate through us like a shiver running down your spine. It was not only about the music, but about the culture as well. It was about the fact we stand for change together, we stand for resistance together, we stand for the new reality.
INCLUSIVITY
There is something I want to clarify–just because the festival is called AFRO-punk does not mean it is a POC only festival. Non-POC are welcomed and encouraged to attend. As long as we all understand the purpose of attending is to celebrate black culture, then we can all join together as a united force. I felt the festival fairly represented POC, as they had artists from different parts of the world. It was all about inclusion and how to invite POC into the public sphere. Unfortunately, within the mainstream culture non-POC are often given the floor to speak over POC as a default. As a woman of color, I have personally experienced my voice being overshadowed by others. It is important that POC are fairly represented within our society whether it be in music, education, or politics —our voice matters.
LOVE
I felt inspired to rethink my place in society and of those around me. Especially the fact that this AFROPUNK festival took place in New York, one of the most work-consumed competitive places in the world. So what is this new reality? From my perspective it is an opportunity to redefine ourselves and others, to redefine our meaning of existing. Are our lives really meant to be competing for success? Is there more? We have been brainwashed by our capitalistic individualistic society to think that external things will make us happy and that we have to always be better than everyone else. So there we are battling each other to death over the most Instagram followers, the nicest apartment, or the newest car.
It is often hard to break away from an individualistic mindset when it has been ingrained in our culture from the start. But why fight against each other, when we can work together for social change? For instance, instead of mainly using Instagram as a platform for our individual growth we could use it as a tool to spread support and encouragement. We can judge others less on their appearance and give more compliments. We can stop comparing ourselves and our success to those ‘above us’. We can look up from our phones and start a conversation with a stranger. We can be less materialistic and appreciate ourselves as enough. We can discuss mental health openly and the importance of self-care. Most of all we can stop hate and embrace love.
POWER
I think we can all incorporate aspects of AFROPUNK into our everyday lives. Be different, stand up, fight back against the oppressions we face.
There is something meaningful behind putting your identity first before power such as black power, gay power, women power etc. We can all come together and utilize our differences as our strengths.
AFROPUNK is not only about the discussion of what needs to change but rather acting upon that change. Wear your natural hair to work and clap back at the haters telling you to ‘brush it’. Resist racist assholes by calling them into the conversation and educating them. Fight sexism in the workplace by proving how capable you are to get shit done. Spend your money at local POC business. Register to vote and work towards registration equality for those in underrepresented communities. Don’t let anyone tell you can’t do something based on the size of your body, instead prove them wrong. Support black trans women by inviting them into the conversation and decision-making process. Find others who are just as passionately angry and resist together.
FINAL THOUGHTS
How I plan on incorporating aspects of AFROPUNK’s mission into my everyday life:
I will acknowledge my privilege.
I will embrace my blackness.
I will not judge others on their physical appearance.
I will fight hate with love.
I will transform my presence into power.