Raiders of the Lost Archives
Surprising, though, is the severe lack of knowledge of this movement today. Prior to the film Punk in Africa, I was unaware that there even was a southern African punk movement in those decades. As a friend so rightly pointed out, why is it that we know all about the punk movement in European countries and the US, but our own history remains in dusty long-forgotten archives?
Luckily, no longer will this history be forgotten, thanks to directors Deon Maas and Keith Jones who have combined interviews with key members of the bands of this movement with a great selection of archive footage of live performances. Creating an interesting documentary, which focuses on the punk movement in South Africa, Mozambique and Zimbabwe in an otherwise overlooked period in our musical history.
The documentary follows the evolution of punk, starting in Durban, Joburg and Cape Town in the 70s, featuring bands like Wild Youth and National Wake, to the change in direction of sound to punk's more mellow brother ska, seen in bands like Kalahari Surfers and The Genuines, to interracial bands playing in Sharpeville at the height of the state of emergency in SA (revolutionary stuff) to the birth of the punk/ska 90s' bands, like Fuzigish, 340 ml and Hog Hoggidy Hog, who all still play today (with the exception of the recently disbanded Hogs).
The face of punk has changed, but it will never go out of fashion; there is always a need for it as Maas and Jones explained at the Q&A after the screening at the sold-out Labia Cinema on Tuesday night. Wherever minds need to be expanded, voices heard, rebellion needed, a revolution had, punk will emerge.
Viva la Punk!
Punk in Africa plays at the Bioscope, Joburg from 20 to 27 January, 2012.
Orange, White and Blue (Mayhem): Roots of SA Punk by Punk In Africa
