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Index > Media > Anti-Racism Special

First of all - can you introduce yourself and your band to us?
TERMINATRYX was formed in Cape Town, South Africa in 2002 (originally spelt with an “i”: TERMINATRIX) – but since then there had been so many uses of the name (from movies to clubs), that we decided to change the spelling (but not the pronunciation). The name is an amalgamation of several concepts including the sexually charged image of the dominatrix, sci-fi movies we like from Tetsuo the Iron Man and The Terminator to (the Nexus replicants) in Bladerunner, as well as the mythical river Styx. We set out to create a unique sound in the South African musical milieu, since there isn’t much we can identify with musically (except for a handful of alternative bands refusing to go the predictable route). Added to the fact that we love Extreme / Sci-Fi / Horror movies, we try to create moods rather than catchy songs, which has led to our hard to define style which incorporates everything from Industrial, Metal and Gothic flavours, to Electronic, Hardcore and Darkwave hints. With the female vocals it is a very rare sound in our part of the world. We (Paul & Sonja) are the key members. Sonja is on lead vocals, while Paul handles all of the instruments, production as well as backing vocals. For live shows we have additional musicians Patrick (guitar) and Ronnie (drums).

Could you describe your opinion and/or views on racism within 1-5 words?
A global illogical social scourge.

What are your views on your own country when it comes to racism? Bad? Worse? Not thát bad? Please explain.
Just like sexism, ageism, anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice, racism will always be there, as people always need someone else to look down on or need to be at the top of the pecking-order, food-chain or social ladder. It’s a psychological dilemma which is often taught or picked up subconsciously via conditioning in an environment simmering with that kind of attitude. Unfortunately those of us who can think and act beyond such base behaviour won’t be able to eliminate it from our world, as it seems to be coded into humanity’s DNA that you need an enemy, and it is so much easier for people with a tribal faction mentality to lash out at someone not a part of your culture, race or nationality, be it Black & White, Israeli & Palestinian, Christian & Muslim, Tsutsi & Hutu, Capitalist & Communist, Indian & Pakistani, Ministry fan & Mariah Carey fan, Coke & Pepsi…! It is said that there cannot be good without evil, light without darkness, Black without White – but what we tend to forget is that these concepts are co-dependent and that destroying the one would mean the non-existence of the other… While it is definitely there, for the most part racism is not as evident in South Africa as one might think, taking into account its history of Apartheid. What has come to the fore in recent years is the intolerance and xenophobia among the Black population as illustrated in recent Black on Black attacks and murders where local South Africans lashed out at (legal and illegal) immigrants and asylum seekers like Zimbabweans, Nigerians and Somalis, blaming them for coming into the country and taking their jobs (and in ridiculous cases, accusing them of coming here to take their women!). For a moment there it was quite serious with most immigrants fearing for their lives. It has subsided – but it is alarming to know how many South Africans feel such hatred towards their fellow Africans... Contrary to the belief of many, South Africa never had a situation where Black and White civilians were at war, hacking and shooting one another in the streets (as with Rwanda’s ethnic genocide). The government enforced its oppression with the police force and military, the segregated group areas keeping races apart.

It seems some kind of sick ´trend´ these days to bring racism into alternative music, referring to terms such as 'nazi-punk', 'NSBM' and 'right-winged electro'. What are your views on this? Do you think it will become dangerous?
We haven’t really been exposed to this kind of music at all (and don't go looking for it). Just like nazi-skinhead movements will never become a popular mainstream phenomenon, I doubt whether people will allow something like that to get out of hand. Some will defend it as “freedom of speech”, but when this turns to "hate speech” and incitement to acts of violence, it’s a whole different story.

Did you witness any racist things during local gigs, festivals, etc? Would you reject an offer to play a show together with an outspoken right-winged band?
We’ve never witnessed anything of the sort at any shows or festivals we’ve played at or attended. We won’t be stopped by anyone to play a gig or festival to which we’ve been invited – unless it is a fascist fest, in which case we’ll decline that invitation! We can use the opportunity to expose that particular band for what they are by educating the audience, and won’t deny them our music. If we stay away, people won’t get to enjoy our music, but still be exposed to the right wing one.

You're from South-Africa, which is known for a history of Apartheid. How do you remember the Apartheid era personally? Are there still traces of apartheid to be found in today's society?
South Africa has come a long way and the short period of democracy and majority rule over the last 14 years certainly changed many attitudes, for the better and for worse… Most people are positive and make a point of getting along, while others have simply always looked at it like that (remember, the minority government of the day didn’t speak for everybody). But, it has also bred pockets of resistance with some people of European descent retreating into their own worlds, clinging to their culture and traditions and separating themselves from the rest of the population, where there is no need for it. A lot of this also has to do with the high crime rate. Everyone’s free to live where they want, practice whatever religion they want, eat what they like, watch whatever movie they want – there is a small town called Orania created by Whites for Whites only, where they do their own thing, running their own economy with their own currency – it’s quite bizarre. The government (and everyone else) is not really bothered with them and let them do their thing.
Paul: My other band V.O.D (Voice Of Destruction) was formed in 1986 as a crossover Hardcore/Punk band which was quite politically outspoken in the late-‘80s period of a state of emergency, countrywide unrest in the townships, riots and government oppression. V.O.D had a strong anti-prejudice attitude with songs taking shots at Nazis, Fascists, and a right wing movement of the time, the AWB. At these shows we had punks and hardcore fans of all races attending the shows with no incidents. A segregation attitude will be a part of every society, fortunately here in South Africa it was scrapped from the law books and constitution. But, like everywhere else in the world, racism is still with us, from all sides – it seems as though Whites seem to keep it to themselves a little more, not taking it beyond their homes, while the Black population is more willing to have it spill into the streets. A few years back a man on TV debate proclaiming that it is an impossibility for a Black person to be a racist... We wouldn’t even waste the time to get into debating a dumb statement like that. The only true Apartheid traces however are ones in museums, but unfortunately you cannot eradicate ideologies from some people’s minds – hopefully time will enlighten them.

Are there many right winged bands in the South African scene?
Our musical taste is very specific and as mentioned there are very few bands and artists here we can identify with – the majority of the music being mainstream crap, pop pulp and American hip-hop and R&B imitations. We don’t know of any blatant right wing bands – they might be out there, but they probably aren’t being as vocal about it, or they happen to create the kind of music we couldn’t be bothered with. We have the Broadcast Complaints Commission where anyone can lodge a complaint if they find anything broadcast on radio or TV offensive. A recent case ruled that the song “Get Out” by rapper Zubz was hate speech and inciting violence. The song was condemned for its blatant racial aggression (from a Black side). Some of the lyrics read: “Tell the oppressor get out / And tell my people fight … I’m gonna get this panga (machete) to your neck / Take what is mine today and I’ll rob you tomorrow … grab the gun … Power to the people, It’s time we take it back.” Here’s a link to a piece on the case: http://hiphocalypse.wordpress.com/zubz-ruling/.
On the other end of the spectrum the only other incident I can think of is a song called “De La Rey” by Bok Van Blerk – a song about a general during the Boer War against the English. The song hints at the Afrikaner nation needing another saviour like this to come lead them. This resulted in many a right winger latching onto it, pulling out the old South African flags and receiving a patriotic burst – albeit a one-sided one. Well, they can wave their flags, as long as they don’t expect us to join them! We have no identity crisis – thing is, we don’t exactly fit into ANY mold! The whole “De La Rey” thing blew over pretty quickly – and the guy made a lot of money as a result… From what we’ve noticed in the current South African climate is how there is much more racism, xenophobia and hatred emerging from the Black population. Crime is becoming more brutal where statistically not only is a woman’s cell phone stolen, but the chances are great that she’ll be gang raped, tortured and killed, and if she survives has an very high chance of being HIV+. These cases are reported daily and the overwhelming majority of the perpetrators are Black and the backlog in courts and understaffed police force makes it even worse – which in turn strikes more fear into the population and also adds to Whites fearing they’ll be victims. And as I’ve witnessed from acquaintances, many who never had a prejudiced bone in their bodies start showing traces of racism, and thousands leave for the UK, Australia or Canada. But running never solves anything, and if you are a victim someone, whether they’re Indonesian or Russian, their ethnicity is irrelevant – it is the fact that they are criminal trash, wherever they come from, and should rather be heaped into that category. Within the ruling ANC party there are also internal Zulu and Xhosa factions that don’t see eye to eye. Recently a large group (The congress Of The People) split from the ANC as they believe they have strayed from their initial aims. Corruption is common and the focus (from inside parliament to the thugs in the streets) boils down to enriching yourself at whatever cost – this is something we cannot agree with. To us it boils down to this: you’re either a good person contributing to society, or a piece of shit. If you feel it is your right to highjack a car and rape and/or kill the driver as a bonus, you do not deserve to steal oxygen from the rest of us – if you happen to be Black – tough shit, I’m referring to you as that because that’s what you are, not because of your skin colour. The exact same goes for someone who is White, Asian or Martian. And in South Africa crime is pretty colour blind as everyone suffers under it, Black women and children even more so.

Got any final words?
Education is key. When someone doesn’t know any better, are they to blame, or the ones who raised them? It is up to every generation to nurture the one after them and teach them that if everyone conducts themselves with a sense of accountability, responsibility and respect, that they’d realize looking down on anyone for whatever reason is counter productive and can only backfire in so many ways. You don’t need money to have character. You needn’t live in a first world democracy to realize that harm to those around you ultimately harms yourself, and that perpetuating social ills, be it racism or crime, if you take responsibility for your actions these may one day fall away. But, this is something not everyone grasps outright, and all we can do is try and enlighten those not yet at that stage of evolution.

Interview by: Gerardo
Answered by: Paul & Sonja
Listen to Terminatryx at www.myspace.com/terminatryxxx