AFROPUNK BREUKELEN |
In 2002, Matthew Morgan produce the cult classic film, Afro-Punk.” It spotlighted Black punks in America, of which there were many. AfroPunk became a touchstone of a cultural movement and has remained a movement to this day. I remember the first time I heard of AfroPunk. I don’t remember the year, but I remember attending an AfroPunk block party in Clinton Hill, on a side street off Myrtle Avenue. This was a long time before I heard the name mentioned again. It wasn’t until 2018 that I attended my first concert and I was blown away! In any event, the first AfroPunk festival took place in 2005 at BAM. It’s obviously grown since those lean days. The AfroPunk festival takes place in Brooklyn, Atlanta, Joburg (South Africa), Paris (France), London (England), and their states they are adding Minneapolis, Miami, and Bahia (Brazil). AfroPunk is a cultural movement. It’s not just about music and fashion, but it touches on engagement, politics, health, activism, and enterprise. This year was its return to Brooklyn since the pandemic. Truth be told, it wasn’t on the same level as its pre-pandemic counterpart. The attendance was good (considering the increase in the ticket price) but should have been much greater. The fashion statements were in abundance, but something was still missing. We had 4 stages before the pandemic; We only had 2 this year. This may have been due to construction, but I couldn’t tell for sure. Did I still have an enjoyable afternoon? Absolutely. Will I return? I’ll have to see how things change for next year. This will be a wait and see for me.