AFROPUNK Joburg x YFM: #BeYou, Be Bold, Be Badass

In a time where the ethos of no sexism, no racism, no ableism, no ageism, no homophobia, no fatphobia and no transphobia is clear, what better way to usher in the new year – one filled with possibility – than at AFROPUNK Joburg, where safe spaces and pretty faces were the order of the day.

Constitution Hill, Johannesburg was transformed into a space that rang with the idea that freedom in all its brilliance can be loud, and most importantly proud! That is the bold statement that was felt here. Vibrant traditional garbs beamed the brightest light that shone through even the heaviest of clouds.

AFROPUNK Joburg was a celebration of liberals that embrace their culture and utilise it as the tool that empowers self-expression, an understanding that our culture is most powerful when it forms part our identity and unifies us. The air carried the scent of love, the love for our blackness, our queerness, our African-ness.

The rain queen Modjadi must have looked on with great joy to the bodies moving in the rain as souls danced in unison to the beat of what freedom must sound like; unapologetic and leaving no heart with weight that made it impossible to let the new year in unhindered with all the renewed energy it brings.

#THEPEOPLERESIST will sound over and over in our hearts as we remember to never forget our African-ness. Let the pride of your being be the stones that set you on the path on the reminder to always #BeYou!