English version below
Een Frank P. / Snoeischaar co-productie
Vorige week berichtten we je op deze blog al over het fameuze WE’RE LOUD punk-fest in Kenia. De eerste paar dagen concentreerden de punky activiteiten zich in hoofdstad Nairobi. Daarna werd er afgezakt naar de kust, alwaar het vervolg plaatsvond. En met afzakken bedoel ik ook echt afzakken, want de trein moet een hoogteverschil (laagteverschil?) van 1800 meter zien te overbruggen. En met ‘trein’ bedoel ik ook echt zo’n ultra-modern high-speed Chinees geval die de afstand naar Mombassa van 500 km in slechts 6 uur weet te doen.
Ook mooi: als tijdens het afzakken het eindpunt steeds meer in zicht komt zie ik de binnentreinse digitale thermometer almaar hogere waarden aangeven. Waar het in Nairobi slechts 18 graden was daar wordt het aan de Indische Oceaan-kust al gauw een graadje of 33. Vanuit Mombassa is het vervolgens nog een uurtje of twee tuffen met een rammeltaxi naar het kustplaatsje Kilili. Daar, aan een idyllische doch snikhete baai compleet met wuivende palmbomen en verblindend witte stranden is het We’re Loud-circus opnieuw opgeslagen en vindt de derde etappe plaats.
Een bekende Keniaanse punkband is CRYSTAL AXIS. Een interview-afspraak met hen is zo gemaakt. Aardige gasten en zoals vrijwel alle jonge Kenianen spreken ze perfect Engels en zijn ze hoog opgeleid. Alleen… waar oh waar aan die verrekte baai vindt je een rustig plekje in de schaduw om effe een normaal interviewtje te doen? Ah daar, vlak achter het podium dan maar.
Crystal Axis is een vijfmansband en draait alweer een tijdje mee. Djae is een van de gitaristen met wie ik babbel. De jongens komen voornamelijk uit Nairobi en begonnen de band een jaar of 15 geleden toen ze nog als jochies in highschool ronddrentelden. Daarna volgde de universiteit en zelfs tijdens een master in Londen bleef de band gewoon voortbestaan. Aanvankelijk speelde Crystal Axis een allegaartje van punk-metal-blues, “and I listened to a lot of dance music, but we didn’t make dance music as Crystal Axis. It’s just a genre that heavily unfluenced my style and continues tot do so.”. Maar het werd steeds meer punk. Luister bijvoorbeeld eens naar hun debuut-ep ‘State of Unease.’ op Bandcamp. “I wrote that when I was 15 or so. It was based on the violence I witnessed in Kenya.“ Welke bands hen beïnvloed hebben? “Green Day, Rage Against The Machine. System of a Down. I like the ethos of punk. You see, like this festival. Nobody has to be here. But they are. “
Een speciaal (tweede) onderdeel van het festival was dat enkele bands optraden in een kindertehuis in de nabij gelegen kustplaats Lamu. Gewoon om de kids daar de edele beginselen der punkrock bij te brengen. ‘All the bands gave lessons. I also gave guitar lessons! Those kids just kept on going. And that’s the great thing about punk. These things wouldn’t happen without the punk ethos, man’.
De punk-scene in Kenia is niet erg groot, aldus Djae. En ook anders. Zoals hij het ziet: “It’s there and it’s small, but it’s tight and consistent. Once a month we play at least. In Europe it’s different, wherever you go you can buy equipment and buy your own gear. Here it’s different. It’s expensive as shit, it’s really not feasible, there are always limitations. So, often we rent the stuff. Gigs are always a bit of a gamble.” Met dat laatste wil hij maar zeggen: er komen altijd wel mensen op af maar of je daarmee ook uit de kosten komt? Nee natuurlijk niet.
Al snel komt het gesprek op andere favoriete punkbands. Kurt Cobain natuurlijk (‘a brilliant songwriter, guitarist, artist, Bleach blew me fucking away!”) Maar ook bands die bij een westerling niet meteen een belletje doen rinkelen. “Another great band is The Cum In Your Face. Don’t you know them? They’re from South Africa. They (TCIYF) don’t exist anymore but they were easily one of the most influental African punkbands ever!”
En wat vindt hij van fameuze zwarte punkbands uit het verleden, zoals Death, Bad Brains en Pure Hell? “Bad Brains, bro I fucking loved them! I remember playing them at home and my uncle said ‘what is that white people shit you’re playing?’ But it wasn’t, and I only found out about that later when the internet came about! Om daaraan toe te voegen: “For us it is important to see other, not especially ‘black’ bands but bands of colour. So also from Indonesia or Latin America.”
Vergeleken met het Westen heeft een Keniaanse punkband het niet bepaald makkelijk. Sommige dingen die voor ons vanzelfsprekend zijn kunnen zij alleen maar van dromen. Neem alleen al zoiets simpels als …. stroom. “Electricity yes, that’s a Kenyan problem, hahaha. And equipment. You can buy equipment in Nairobi for an affordable price. But it’s not original stuff, it’s a lot of cheap Chinese shit. It’s not necessarily bad, it works, but… . Another major challenge is getting publicity. Regular radio stations don’t play rock. Back in the day one radio station would play two hours of rock. These guys helped us with airplay. Back in the day you didn’t have TikTok or Bandcamp. All we had was facebook. These days you can have the word out much quicker. Now we can even make some money from this shit.”
Met de term ‘Afrikaanse punk’ kan Djae niet zo veel. Het zou tekort doen aan de enorme culturele verscheidenheid van het enorme continent, vindt hij. Maar aan de andere kant: “There is so much beautiful and amazing music coming from Africa. Africa is full of creative and talented people. There’s no such thing as bad African music!’ En dan nog iets, toen Crystal Axis probeerde hun muziek in het westen onder de aandacht te brengen kregen ze reacties te horen als: jullie soort muziek kennen we al, kun je er niet een typisch Afrikaanse draai aan geven? Dergelijke vragen kunnen Djae boos maken. Zijn reactie komt erop neer: ‘het westen heeft niet het recht om te bepalen wat wel of geen Afrikaanse muziek is. En ik kan het weten want ik kom hier vandaan!’
In ieder geval tekstueel is Crystal Axis typisch punk, de jongens maken van hun hart geen moordkuil. Sommige liedjes vormen een direct protest tegen zittend president Ruto, die alom (vooral door jeugdig Kenia) als corrupt wordt gezien. Ruto must go! Voorts kijken deze jongens verder dan hun neus lang is. “We have a song called ‘Leopold.’ You know the Belgian king who ruled Congo? He killed so many African brothers, That’s stuff you don’t hear about when you are at school”
Tenslotte even vragen naar hun dromen en ambities, die hebben ze vast wel. ‘My biggest dream or ambition would be to tour Africa. Although a European tour would be easier! Why? Because an African tour would be very difficult, the infrastructure is just not there. And it’s expensive. Yes, we would looove to tour in Europe. But it’s a lot of paperwork. And the thing is, if you are black and if you are muslim and if you are from Kenya, then it’s very difficult to get visas.” Tja, daar zeg je wat Djae.. daar is helaas geen speld tussen te krijgen… Toch is Djae een tevreden mens, hij telt zijn zegeningen: “Man, never in my life I would dream of sharing the same stage as Death. And here we are, this is like a dream come true!”
Punk in Kenya: an interview with Crystal Axis
Dutch version above
A Frank P. / Pruning Shears co-production
Last week, we already reported on this blog about the famous WE’RE LOUD punk fest in Kenya. The first few days of punky activities were concentrated in the capital, Nairobi. Afterward, they moved down to the coast, where the rest of the festivities took place. And by “down,” I really mean down, because the train has to overcome an elevation gain (or loss of depth?) of 1,800 meters. And by “train,” I really mean one of those ultra-modern, high-speed Chinese contraptions that can cover the 500 km distance to Mombasa in just 6 hours.
Another nice touch: as the finish line comes ever closer during the descent, I see the train’s digital thermometer reading ever higher. While it was only 23 degrees Celsius in Nairobi, it quickly climbs to around 33 degrees at the Indian Ocean coast. From Mombasa, it’s another hour or two in a rattling taxi to the coastal village of Kilili. There, on an idyllic yet sweltering bay complete with swaying palm trees and blindingly white beaches, the We’re Loud circus has resumed, and the third leg is underway.
A well known Kenyan punk band is CRYSTAL AXIS. It’s easy to schedule an interview with them. They’re nice guys, and like almost all young Kenyans, they speak perfect English and are highly educated. But… where, oh where on that damn bay can you find a quiet, shady spot to do a proper interview? Right there, right behind the stage then.
Crystal Axis is a five-piece band that’s been around for a while. Djae is one of the guitarists I’m chatting with. The guys are mainly from Nairobi and started the band about 15 years ago when they were still kids in high school. Then came university, and even while pursuing a master’s degree in London, the band kept going. Initially, Crystal Axis played a mix of punk, metal, blues “and I listened to a lot of dance music, but we didn’t make dance music as Crystal Axis. It’s just a genre that heavily unfluenced my style and continues tot do so.” But it gradually became more punk. For example, listen to their debut EP, ‘State of Unease,’ on Bandcamp. “I wrote that when I was 15 or so. It was based on the violence I witnessed in Kenya.” Which bands influenced them? “Green Day, Rage Against the Machine. System of a Down. I like the ethos of punk. You see, like this festival. Nobody has to be here. But they are.”
A special (second) part of the festival was that several bands performed at an orphanage in the nearby coastal town of Lamu. Simply to teach the kids there the noble principles of punk rock. “All the bands gave lessons. I also gave guitar lessons! Those kids just kept going. And that’s the great thing about punk. These things wouldn’t happen without the punk ethos, man.”
The punk scene in Kenya isn’t very big, according to Djae. And also different. As he sees it: “It’s there and it’s small, but it’s tight and consistent. We play at least once a month. In Europe it’s different; wherever you go you can buy equipment and buy your own. Here it’s different. It’s expensive as hell, it’s really not feasible, there are always limitations. So, often we rent the stuff. Gigs are always a bit of a gamble.” With that last point he just means: people always show up, but does that actually cover the costs? No, of course not.
The conversation quickly turns to other favorite punk bands. Kurt Cobain, of course (“a brilliant songwriter, guitarist, artist. Bleach blew me fucking away!”) But also bands that don’t immediately ring a bell to a westerner. “Another great band is The Cum In Your Face. Don’t you know them? They’re from South Africa. They (TCIYF) don’t exist anymore, but they were easily one of the most influential African punk bands ever!”
And what does he think of famous black punk bands from the past, such as Death, Bad Brains and Pure Hell? “Bad Brains, bro I fucking loved them! I remember playing them at home and my uncle said ‘what is that white people shit you’re playing?’ But it wasn’t, and I only found out about that later when the internet came about!” To add: “For us it is important to see other, not especially ‘black’ bands but bands of color. So also from Indonesia or Latin America.”
Compared to the West, for a Kenyan punk band it’s not that easy. Some things we take for granted, they can only dream of. Take something as simple as… electricity. “Electricity, yes, that’s a Kenyan problem, hahaha. And equipment. You can buy equipment in Nairobi for an affordable price. But it’s not original stuff, it’s a lot of cheap Chinese shit. It’s not necessarily bad, it works, but… Another major challenge is getting publicity. Regular radio stations don’t play rock. Back in the day, one radio station would play two hours of rock. These guys helped us with airplay. Back in the day, you didn’t have TikTok or Bandcamp. All we had was Facebook. These days, you can get the word out much quicker. Now we can even make some money from this shit.”
The term “African punk” doesn’t mean much to Djae. He believes it would do a disservice to the enormous cultural diversity of this vast continent. But on the other hand: “There’s so much beautiful and amazing music coming from Africa. Africa is full of creative and talented people. There’s no such thing as bad African music!” And then there’s the thing: when Crystal Axis tried to bring their music to the West, they received responses like: “We already know your kind of music, can’t you give it a distinctively African twist?” Such questions can infuriate Djae. His response boils down to: ‘The West doesn’t have the right to decide what is and isn’t African music. And I should know because I’m from here!’
Lyrically, at least, Crystal Axis is typically punk; the guys don’t mince their words. Some songs are a direct protest against current President Ruto, who is widely seen (especially by young Kenyans) as corrupt. “Ruto must go!” Furthermore, these guys see beyond the obvious. “We have a song called ‘Leopold.’ You know the Belgian king who ruled Congo? He killed so many African brothers. That’s stuff you don’t hear about when you’re at school.”
Finally, let’s ask about their dreams and ambitions, they surely have some. “My biggest dream or ambition would be to tour Africa. Although a European tour would be easier! Why? Because an African tour would be very difficult, the infrastructure just isn’t there. And it’s expensive. Yes, we would love to tour in Europe. But it’s a lot of paperwork. And the thing is, if you are Black and if you are Muslim and if you are from Kenya, then it’s very difficult to get visas.” Well, you’re right, Djae… unfortunately, there’s no arguing with that… Yet Djae is a happy man, he counts his blessings: “Man, never in my life would I dream of sharing the same stage as Death. And here we are, this is like a dream come true!”
(thanx Google Translate)
