Decolonise Fest is a loud and colourful course correction

When Decolonise Fest launched in 2017, it was with a particular goal: to create a safe space, as the collective states, “by and for punx of colour.” Founded by Big Joanie guitarist and writer Stephanie Phillips and the DIY Diaspora Punx Collective, Decolonise Fest responds to a pervasive gap, driven by a team of activists, militant community organisers, musicians, and artists – all of whom seek space and recognition within alternative spaces. “We are reasserting our place in punk and want to showcase the amazing, creative, and talented contributions punx of colour have made to the punk scene since its inception,” they write in their manifesto. “We will talk about racism but not in a way that centres whiteness or prioritises the feelings of white people. No white tears.” “We are truly putting the threat back into punk again.” “Decolonise our past to decolonise our future.” Miki Berenyi Trio What this looks like, in practice, is establishing a platform for the voices of POC artists – as the festival defines it, those descended from Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Australasia, North America, and the islands of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean, and of...