Where is the Activism?
By: Matt Ybarra
Harvard Square is buzzing with energy on the Sunday afternoon of the HONK! festival, October 13, 2019. Since it pairs with Oktoberfest, HONK! tends to attract a large crowd not only with its loud, brassy music, but also with the abundance of nearby food and merchandise booths. As a result, Harvard Square is a target destination for entertainment on this sunny afternoon, and the streets are filled with families, couples, runners, and other passersby. Located just a few yards in front of the Harvard Red Line stop, the main stage hosts a full set of performances by HONK! bands.
Although HONK! was created for and continues to be a celebration of activist bands, the activist agenda is more widely accepted as an undertone at the main stage on Sunday afternoon in Harvard Square. Some might argue that the reported subtlety of the festival’s fundamental goal is a point of weakness; yet, the success of HONK! should not be measured solely on the basis of this one event during the festival weekend. Instead, HONK! should be praised for its diverse programming which serves to provide tiers of political accessibility for festival attendees. Some of HONK!’s events are easily digestible for the average passerby, while others are more fit for the progressive activist.
On Sunday morning, I volunteered at the HONK! merchandise booth where I chatted with a few festival organizers. After asking about the relationship between informed festival attendees (those who know about HONK!’s goals and agenda) and uninformed passersby, one of the organizers claimed that she is “always shocked at how many clueless people there are.” She was specifically referring to the Sunday afternoon performances on the HONK! main stage, in stark contrast to the parade that precedes it. The parade is much more overtly political; band members march with bold, witty signs that call for political change on a variety of issues. As a result, it’s fairly difficult to miss the activist agenda at the parade. Yet, those signs are not visible on the main stage on Sunday. Though many of the bands’ names give an indication of their underlying activist agendas, the musical performances are the true spectacle.
In order to better understand why people attend HONK! and how big a role the activist agenda plays in attracting and retaining audiences, I conducted various interviews with main stage observers on Sunday afternoon. I conversed with a wide range of people to obtain many different perspectives. In this process, I maneuvered through the main stage crowd and approached people who appeared (at least to some degree) to be attentively observing the bands on stage. These interviews gave me a basic sense of the audience’s feelings towards and knowledge about HONK!’s activist origins. Although I surveyed a mix of demographics (age, race, etc.), these interactions should be taken as a collection of individual perspectives rather than a general consensus about the festival.
Many of the festival attendees with whom I interacted had a basic understanding of HONK!'s activist roots. In fact, it became clear that for some, initial exposure to HONK! was driven by the festival's reputation for supporting progressive ideologies. These same audience members had a few things in common, including living in Somerville when they discovered HONK!. More notably, HONK! 2019 was not their first experience with the festival. One woman stated that this was her fourth time attending HONK! since 2011. Another said that she's "come every year for the past 8 years or something like that." In a group of three men, one claimed he actually couldn't remember his first time at the festival because he grew up in the area and stumbled across HONK! when he was a teenager.
On the other hand, a few of the main stage observers that I interviewed had almost no idea that HONK! is made up of activist bands. After explaining to them HONK!’s roots and goals, most were enthusiastically receptive. One woman even noted that learning about HONK!’s progressive agenda “made [her] like it even more.” In contrast, I spoke with a couple who claimed that knowing the performers are activists “doesn’t matter so much” to them. Some of the festival attendees (after hearing my quick spiel about HONK!'s activist roots) didn't feel the activism was evident on the main stage. While one attendee acknowledged the performance of "protest songs" and admitted that the activism "is in the music to some extent," another argued that he didn't "feel the activist energy" since "none of the bands had really talked about it yet." One man even gave a percentage breakdown: "I would say 30% political, 70% more entertaining."
Perhaps the most overtly political moment on the main stage occurred during the middle of one of my conversations with an audience member. Fanfarra Feminina Sagrada Profana, an all-woman band from Brazil, interrupted their musical performance with a call and response. "There will be punishment—for those who beat us, for those who rape us, who kill us” they shouted. For the few minutes that they demanded audience participation, it was perfectly clear that this band wanted to highlight its activist agenda. Whether or not they knew about the activism before the call and response, every audience member was immediately informed (or reminded) that these bands seek change.
With these reactions in mind, I wondered how HONK! conveys its relationship with activism and how these decisions are made. In a conversation with festival organizer Eric Sutman, he shed light on the trends of HONK! poster and t-shirt designs in recent years. Specifically, Sutman commented on the contrast between the 2018 and 2019 designs. He explained how HONK! created a “more confrontational shirt last year and [they’ve] already sold out.” Sutman was referring to the 2018 design which expressed clear political imagery of a raised fist against a bright red background. Meanwhile, the 2019 design placed a stronger emphasis on the quirkiness of the bands. When asked if the 2018 design was a controversial choice within the HONK! organizing committee, Sutman said that the new 2019 shirt was actually a more contentious decision. Apparently, some argued that the new design was too nonpolitical.
Given that HONK! organizers clearly strive to brand themselves with a focus on activism, is it not crucial to ensure that every festival attendee is informed of the activist agenda? According to Sutman, it doesn’t matter too much. He explained that “a lot of these bands just want to play. This [HONK!] is a big, fun thing for them. It’s like a family reunion for a lot of them. It’s a community in and of itself. They’re a band because they like playing. They’re a band because they’re musicians and they enjoy performing. And so honestly, having a receptive crowd and being able to hang out with musicians, that’s important.” Furthermore, from the perspective of bands, it’s important to have the opportunity to perform in front of a “receptive” audience and alongside “family.”
It seems, then, that the relationship between the bands and the audience members is a two-way street. Per my conversations with main stage observers, many people come, stay, and return to HONK! for the music. Even those who actively support the progressive agenda admit that the music and creative energy are generally their primary reasons for returning to HONK! year after year. These festival attendees want to watch a good set of performances just as the bands want to play a good set of performances.
Ultimately, HONK! is successful in its diversification of events each year. There is a deep understanding of providing a time and place for both the average passerby and the political activist. While HONK!’s underlying goals may not be obvious during every event throughout the weekend, the spectacle is enough to keep audience members engaged and motivated to come back next year.
.jpg){kind=link}
