NYK—mag 0225
03 Films recommendations
Written by Daniel Aneto
Documentary: The global rise of Afro-house music
This documentary provides a solid foundation for understanding the origins of Afro-house, and the global rise of artists from the african continent. It introduces some of the pioneers in the scene and highlights examples of how artists represent their culture, communities and heritage by giving back to the people that directly inspired the development of the sounds.
One example in the documentary is from Johannesburg in South Africa, where the Tembisa-born DJ, producer and cultural entrepreneur known as Shimza, single handedly put together a One Man Show to raise money for underprivileged children on Christmas day.
“People that have an opportunity to make money outside, they need to bring it back into our community, and create opportunities for young people around it.”
– Shimza, The global rise of Afro-houseAnother example is from Nairobi in Kenya, where the three brothers known as Foozak, Dylan-S and Suraj collaborated with the Samburu community – a semi-nomadic tribe of Kenya and East Africa – where they recorded chants and samples that resulted in a compilation of 19 songs, that they shared with producers all around Africa. They made sure that all the royalties from the compilation was channeled back to the educational program in the Samburu community.
“One of the ladies from the Samburu community, who we recorded was like; a lot of people come in and film us or record us, but we never see anything back from it.”
– Dylan-S, The global rise of Afro-houseWatch the documentary here:
Fiction: Sinners
By coincidence I happened to go watch the movie Sinners, while putting together an outline for the content of this magazine, without knowing much more than the movie would feature Michael B. Jordan and be somewhat about vampires. I was in for a hell of a treat. This movie beautifully portrays the spiritual connection between past, present, and future, and how ancestral connection is the beating heart of Black and Indigenous cultures.
In Sinners (2025), directed by Ryan Coogler, the twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both portrayed by Michael B. Jordan) return to 1932 Clarksdale, Mississippi, aiming to open a juke joint and escape their criminal past. Their venture takes a dark turn when a clan of vampires threatens their community. The film intertwines themes of racial tension, cultural appropriation, and the power of music.
“Coogler’s vampire metaphor is entirely original and deeply cutting, using the monster myth to address the foundation of systemic racism and exploitation upon which this country was built, a system that drains the life and labor (and culture and music) from the enslaved Africans who became Black Americans.”
- Katie Walsh, Seattle TimesThe vampires in Sinners portrays a picture of soulless beings who feed off others to feel alive. An image of the oppressive systems that drain Black music and expression of its roots. In trying to become soulful, they expose the violence of appropriation. Taking without understanding, consuming without giving back. Sinners is so much more than a horror story; it portrays the horror behind how Black culture is being appropriated, disrespected and commodified, and how these scars of the colonial past will continue to have an impact on the present and throughout generations into the future.