Punk rock and skateboarding have a one-dimensional perception as “white music” and “white sport,” respectively, but a Black South African punk band called T.C.I.Y.F has used both to create an inspiring countercultural movement firmly rooted in the country’s largest township.
In 2016, I devoted months to documenting the rise of that counterculture in Soweto, through the lives of members of the band T.C.I.Y.F., gatekeepers of the movement. Our mornings would begin at a small residential house, famously known as “The Dogg Pound,” in Dube, Soweto. The hours that passed would take us on meaningless adventures from garage jam sessions into the nooks and crannies of the township. The relationship that T.C.I.Y.F—which stands for the rather controversial The Cum In Your Face—has with the township is tightly tethered to their belief in celebrating Black counterculture; they’re dedicated to cultivating a scene that is typically taboo in township culture and breaking the mold of what is expected from Black youth who are born and raised there.
Punk rock and skateboarding are now inspiring the youth in Soweto to pursue their dreams free from public scrutiny and the fear of being stereotyped. Many may deem it “anti-establishment,” but this countercultural movement is bridging borders, echoing the rebellious nature of great South African artists like Brenda Fassie, Hugh Masekela and Lucky Dube, who rebelled against the apartheid regime through their music.
T.C.I.Y.F continues to inspire young Black children and adults from the townships to the suburbs, debunking the stereotypes and the misconceived identity that the world has of what it means to be “punk rock,” challenging its perception as a genre only accessible to white people.
Contributor
Karabo Mooki is a photographer and filmmaker born and raised in Johannesburg.
