AFROPUNK is finally coming to Africa. The global festival that has been one of the biggest cultural movements for the past 14 years is welcoming South Africa into the family with a two-day musical extravaganza in Joburg.
Solange Knowles will headline the December 30 & 31 festival. Picture:Supplied
Headlining the festival will be the Grammy Award-winning Solange Knowles.
The Cranes in the Sky singer will be belting out tunes from her recent and most popular album, A Seat at the Table, as well as hits from some of her previous work.
Yesterday, a launch bash was held at Constitution Hill to celebrate the inaugural event.
TV host Sal Masekela MC’d the night and announced the first set of artists who will be performing at the three-stage festival.
The artists include Laura Mvula, King Tha vs Blk Jks, Theo Parrish, The Brother Moves On, Spoek Mathambo, Black Motion, Gods Sons & Daughters, OKZharp & Manthe Ribane, DJ Lag, Urban Village, Nakhane Toure, Nonku Phiri and TCIYF.
Performances from Thandiswa Mazwai (King Tha) & The Blk Jks, Manthe Ribane, Themba Lunacy and DJ Doowap ended the launch night on a musical high.
Thandiswa Mazwai will be setting the Afropunk stage on fire with her ensemble piece with The Blk Jks. Picture: Supplied
The festival is known for its multiculturalism and diversity and has been making a mark in the music world in all its host cities - Brooklyn and Atlanta in America and London and Paris in Europe.
For the Joburg leg of the festival, the plan is to end the year in style on December 30 and 31.
“The move to Johannesburg is a natural fit in line with Afropunk’s desire to make connections throughout the diaspora, creating bonds between those with a shared mindset.
“Thoughtful curation sees house, kwaito, punk, hip hop, soul, reggae, roots, pop and other genres all a part of the Afropunk Johannesburg celebration that will culminate in an unforgettable New Year’s Eve party in this awesome African city,” said festival organiser Matthew Morgan.
Morgan added that he was excited to be collaborating with South African artists and audiences as they establish the brand in Africa in the same way the festival does in the US and Europe.
The theme for this year’s festival is “We The People”.
“It is reflected in the musical line-up as well as the food, art and style marketplace aspects of Afropunk.
“We The People is a phrase that begins both the American and South African constitutions and was chosen specifically to coincide with Afropunk’s first outing in Johannesburg. Which makes the Constitution Hill venue even more poignant,” said Morgan.
The festival brings close to 100000 people across the host cities together to share in music, style, art and food.
Artists who have performed at past Afropunk festivals include Grace Jones, D’Angelo, Mos Def, Lauryn Hill, Lenny Kravitz, Erykah Badu, Ice Cube, Janelle Monae, Chuck D, Bad Brains, Kaytranada and Lianne La Havas.
More artists will be announced for the Afropunk Joburg line-up in the build-up to the December event.
For more information on it, visit www.afropunk.com