Afropunk: I Enjoyed Celebrating All Aspects of Being Black AF
I finally made it to Afropunk Brooklyn and I’m excited to share the experience with you! If you are like me, you may have asked yourself “what is Afropunk?” on more than one occasion without actually seeking out any information because...well...maybe next year. Although Afropunk has been around for 14 years, I had never thought to pull the trigger and purchase tickets until last year, but then it was too late because I didn’t plan well and the tickets sold out before I could make up my mind about attending. I must admit, the term punk kept me from exploring the festival because I never thought that a festival geared toward punk and alternative music was my speed. As the years went on and reports came back from the festival, I began to become more intrigued about what Afropunk really is. The performing artists seemed to be more mainstream and from what I could tell, the focus seemed to shift more on the Afro and less on the punk. Again, all this from an outsider’s viewpoint. While I was willing to attend and learn more about the festival anyway, this new inclusive vibe with a focus on celebrating being black AF, creativity, and having no isms turned into a must-do experience for me!
To be clear, celebrating who I am on a regular basis is very important to me and what I love about myself is that I unlock different parts and dimensions to who I am hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. What’s really interesting is that over the past few years, I’ve been on a mission to experience myself uninhibited - Who is Donna without the world-induced titles of Mom, wife, student, educator, teacher, employee, island girl, Christian, etc? I never stop asking this question and I never will because what I find out always intrigues me. The best way to explore the depths of this is to continue to say “yes!” to new experiences. As of late, I enjoy experiencing myself as an EXTRAordinary student-of-life, free spirit, and a creative. This realization is great, but in true “Donna” fashion, I wanted to take it to the next level which is celebrating these aspects of me! Looking at myself through this lens, the new (perhaps gentrified) Afropunk seemed like a must-do festival with the kind of creative energy that transcends all areas of the arts.
Combination of VIP Swagg and purchases from the Spinthrift Market
VIP ticket in hand and I was off to be absorbed in the most creative international music & arts festival used to celebrate black culture! Jill Scott was set to perform and I was prepared to get my entire black life. Unfortunately, Jill Scott along with most of the more popular artists were scheduled to perform on the Saturday while I had a ticket for Sunday. Strike one to the “naked eye” but a blessing to me since I wanted a new experience filled with wonder, excitement, aha! moments, and amazement anyway. On the other hand, my cousin who I attended the festival with, knew many of the artists and seemed to have a favorite on each stage. We were both attending Afropunk for the first time and agreed that we should get there early, grab food before the lines get too long, and try to see as much of the displays as possible. From the moment I arrived, I was not disappointed and the constant “wow, that’s dope” hung over me like a visible speech bubble that reflected what my mind instantly thought.
The more we walked around, it became evident that there was representation present for just about every aspect of the black community. Creativity oozed from everyone as they proudly rocked a DIY outfit or a skillfully designed adornment that had both character and personality. Likewise, the visual representation of what the festival and attendees stands for was made prevalent throughout the park. One of my favorite displays in the Beauty Village was the one that Target sponsored. The positive imagery and visual arts created a powerful theme of embracing growth, self love, and inspiration for women and people of color on a whole. I was most impressed that they gave away a free book by author Elaine Welteroth titled More Than Enough. As a free spirit, the energy in the festival had me overly stimulated; I was networking(AKA running my mouth), taking pictures, and learning so much all at the same time. With every turn, I was filled with pride for my race, culture, and people. My love of being black, embracing the various dimensions of who we are as black people, and all aspects of black culture was at an all time high. I equated the feeling to the first time I visited South Africa this year and met natives from throughout the continent who were so creative and resourceful with the creations they made for a living. I walked away from Afropunk with a deeper sense of appreciation to who we are as a community and feeling like we need more celebrations of our unapologetic blackness. Remember, the artists I didn't know? Well, I have a few new artists added to my “playlist” because of their awesome performances. In fact, each artist was more soulful than the next. (List of the Brooklyn 2019 performers can be found here) Shout out to the Green Stage performers!
It was one of those things where we were all there, but having separate experiences and getting impacted and moved in different ways. On the ride back to our hometown in not-so-black suburbia my cousin and I compared notes and realized that we both had THE BEST time, but certainly had different experiences. We both agreed that a two day ticket would NOT have been overkill and that the splurge on a VIP ticket was worth the extra coins! There’s more...there’s so much more...but enjoy the pictures as a visual recap of my first Afropunk experience.
Have you been to Afropunk? Let’s compare notes. If you’ve never attended, would you consider attending after reading this blog post? Keep the conversation going in the comments below.
Chillin’ inside the Green Stage’s VIP section with my cousin.
My cousin met Spike Lee!