Feature: Punk In Africa (Film)

In something new for The Punk Archive, Jonnie Miller reviews documentary film Punk In Africa...

The 2012 documentary Punk in Africa focuses on the story of the emergence of the punk scene in South Africa around the late 70's and early 80's. Using first-hand accounts of members and founders of some of the most well-known groups of the time, the film plays out as a series of interviews tied together with montages of archive footage, all to the soundtrack of the raw, heavily politicised music they were producing at the time. 

The film is distinctly divided into three parts. The tonal shift is not just distinctive through the subject matter but through the obvious transition of the styles of music that were being produced. The opening 45 minutes is accompanied by a distinctly punk soundtrack whilst the second half, which analyses how South African music has continued developing since the fall of the apartheid regime, has a far more ska and reggae feel to it. This alone is a powerful insight into how different genres of music are more powerful in different social situations: the raw feel of the punk era a far more abrasive tool against the Apartheid regime no longer required and diluted after it's fall, when the softer, more upbeat ska and reggae kicked in. 

The last twenty minutes of the film takes an all-too-brief journey to Mozambique and Zimbabwe to give a look at a couple of ska bands from each, mainly 340ml and The Rudimentals. Here, the film briefly touches upon the struggles of civil war and fight for independence. However, it sadly feels rushed, and as though the film makers were trying to squeeze the topic, and indeed, the bands, into the running time. 

The film focuses mainly on the political message the pioneers of punk in South Africa were trying to get across and how the medium allowed them to do it. Punk In Africa features music and input from bands on the circuit at the time such as Suck, Wild Youth, Power Age and many more on top of that. 

The most engaging part of the film is a segment in which the band member of National Wake, Ivan Kadey, talks about his experiences trying to produce music under the eye of the Apartheid regime. He discusses the difficulties of trying to keep together the first multicultural band on the scene whilst facing constant harassment from police. This opening half of film is when it's at its strongest, the feeling of rebellion and how the artists were creating the music as part of a fight against the government, captures the spirit of punk.

National Wake

As Punk In Africa advances on to the music scene in the 1990s, it loses the sense of purpose slightly that it had previously, instead serving as more of a tool to show the audience where music has gone since those days of oppression. Nevertheless, this doesn't do the film any discredit, with input from bands that still feel they have a valid and worthwhile message to convey: a couple of which are definitely worth a listen, such as Hog Hoggidy Hog and Fuzigish.

It's clear that the makers of this film had a real passion for getting the voice of the South African punk scene known to the world. It was a small movement driven by a dedicated few who wanted to stand up and be heard with a message of unity in the midst of an oppressive and racist regime doing its best to keep them apart. Historically it's enlightening and musically even more so. Fans of the genre and an interest in the historical discourse of music will find Punk in Africa a worthwhile and satisfying watch for its 102 minute duration.