Sparking the Movement

 Punk culture is based on anti-establishment, anti-government, rejection of social norms, non-conformity, direct action and more. In the documentary, Afropunk, James Spooner explored the punk rock scene. He initial became interested in this scene from the perspective of anger towards the punk community. He felt that is had been appropriated by white suburban kids and had lost its roots. The forefathers of punk, including musicians suck as Bo Diddley, Check Berry, and Little Richard, paved the way for more lack artists and groups such as Betty Davis, Bad Brains, Pure Hell, Mad Dog Carla and more. These roots and legacies is what James Spooner wanted to bring back into the focus, which ultimately led him to being the co-founder of the Afropunk festival. 

The overall theme of the documentary was to explore the idea that being black and being punk is the same thing. Punks are outsiders in society, and from what we have looked at in this class we see again and again black people being portrayed as alien or feeling alien to society at large. Punks are typically outsiders in their own way, thrown away from society and happy to exist and create havoc from the fringes of what is deemed "normal". 

Another idea that is explored, is the overall origins of the punk aesthetic emulating from centuries of African cultures doing body art in the form of piercing and tattoos. This is an aesthetic that is being reclaimed by those in the Afropunk community. 

There is certainly tension between whiteness and the punk scene. In America, the punk scene is predominately white suburban kids who chose to go to the fringes of society. They appropriate looks and styles that they may not realize where they come from. In the documentary we see Afropunks talking about how they are used to being the only black person in a sea of whiteness at these punk shows. Some of them even say they are surprised to see other black people. This is something that is gradually changing. Interracial punk bands are working on reliving this tension by education through their lyrics. The Afropunk documentary helped to spark the Afropunk movement, and the beginning of the reclamation of what it means to be punk.