SUBCULTURE:
KWAITO (PANTSULA)
Marabi of the20’s, Kwela of the 50’s, maskandi of the laborers and
Kwaito of the 90’s, are each 20th century musical phenomenons that
profoundly influenced the engineering of the black experience. These sounds
were instrumental in the reflection, artistic narratives which rhythmically
told stories of life in the township. The ingenuity of townships around the
world has always been their ability to create vehicles of protest through
artistic inventions articulated distinctly by their choice of dance, fashion
and music.
It was there in the 1976 uprising. It was there alongside the “Madiba
Jive” in 1994 and its with us today, in our fashion, our music and our dance
battles. Panstsula isn’t a trend. It's a lifestyle, an identity, a culture. they
wear a two piece outfit, navy blue with green embroidery on the breast pockets,
flaps and at the cuffs. The buttoned jacket also has a detailed finish –
patterned designers by a seamstress in their neighborhood. The shirts tucked
into overflowing pants that stop just above the ankle. Crispy white
Chuck-Taylor All Stars complete the look.’ writes Tseliso Mananeg, journalist
for the City Press newspaper as he describes the look of a group of amapantsula
who will be participating in a dance off held in Johannesburg.
A distinguishable subculture that encapsulated youth’s revolt in the
townships was the amapantsula. They first emerged in the 70’s as a dance form
that rapidly evolved into protest, which rejected and fought institutionalization.
Amapantsula, and their female counterparts known as ‘Abo’mshoza’, were a
subculture which stood for social upheaval, social domination by reclaiming
spaces and translating the African identity.
From the unique way that they spoke, moved danced and dressed, they
consciously pursued the transcendence of their immediate realities. Largely
drawing influence from biographical movies of the Italian mafia, a group which
too was subjected to institutional alienation, amapantsula modeled their
ambition to that of Sicilians. The threads of Italian opulence lent themselves
to the identities of township youth, distorted shades of power that were at
once inconceivable.
The South African township has always been a milieu that fosters the
confrontations of identity, a constant dichotomy between the reinforcement of
subjugation of a black masculinity, which has since time suffered from the
imposition of degradation.
The pantsula is ultimalt a canvas of the black body politic. Never forsaking
the prowess of imagination, in its vibrancy, it is an artistic construct of
continuous expression and rebellion. A way in which self-respect is pursued and
aspirations made comprehensible, the affirmation of a worthy identity.
The archetype of any subculture is revolt, and every gesture should be
perceived as a design orchestrated toward the sustenance of revolution. Every
slight movement of the limbs, when amapantsula dance, the intricacy in the
language when they speak, the way they walk is all a tapestry of the black body
politic. The choice of shoes to that of hairstyles invites onlookers to the
nuances of the township re imagining the self. It should never be simplifies to
the singularity of the trends but should be understood as life stories. The
power of the township and its people resides in their ability to transcend
space and condition, their capacity to remould identity and create individual narratives.
Each of these themes are kept alive in corner containers that are home to an
array of black business, everything from the local barber to the residential
weed supplier.
http://chrissaunderssa.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html
http://livemag.co.za/live-creative-session-3-real-actions-pantsula/
KINGDOM: THE OFF BEATS
The off beats are a subculture born on 11th of
September 2014, in Johannesburg South Africa. We decided to call our subculture
The Off Beats because the culture was inspired by the Pantsula culture.
The Off Beats created
their name from the modified, quick stepping, low to the ground form of dance,
which is done in the Pantsula culture.
Our motto: Strong,
young, driven youth with a competitive style.
This culture is considered to being of a Post Modern culture.
WHY? Beca use it
challenges the traditional cultural values of todays society. (western society)
Life today is radically
different compared to the fifties or even thirty years ago. Our culture
embraces all art forms as we are
constantly looking forward to the Future of our fashion but drawing back from
the past (Pantsula).
We are also about embracing all opinions and not seeing just
one explanation of everything.
We believe in diversity and multiculturalism.
We also believe in our body being an essence of experiences.
We believe in not conforming to what the world expects us to
being
We are generated through a process of appropriation and
deconstruction.
Our emblem is an adaptation of a character doing a Pantsula
dance stunt.
The Emblem was designed using shapes to create a character.
This emblem is used to express the character and personality
of The Off Beats culture.
Juta Street in Braamfotein not only welcomes one by the bright
and colourful milieu of 70 Juta architecture, but also greets one by the sight
of an individual whose style is easy-going but also so immensely cool.
The Off Beats have a simultaneous developed fashion style.
We have morphed our style with the daring look of the new punk
style and old school. Our style is very much expressive and random. It is
messy, humorous, borrowed, open ended, confident and colourful.
According to the modernist they would view the offbeat’s style
as a look of rebellion and uncertainty. Our style is very much expressive and
random. It is messy, humorous, borrowed, open ended, confident and colourful.
According to the modernist they would view the offbeat’s style
as a look of rebellion and uncertainty. The
Off Beat’s personality is random, youthful and vibrant. Focused on emotion
rather than reason.
They have a daring
personality
They are expressive in
their clothing
They are fighters against conformism.
QUEEN
