Proof That Metal Culture Has Spread Everywhere

Of all the genres of rock’n’roll, I can’t think of another variety that’s spread to more places than metal. I don’t have any empirical proof (although I’m sure it exists), but I’ve run across enough anecdotal evidence to make me think this hypothesis is 100% true.

Boing Boing reports on the Marok scene, the metal community in Botswana as photographed by South African Paul Shiakallis. We pick up the story from Hyperallergic.

Skinflint, Metal Orizon, Wrust, Crackdust, Overthrust, and Amok are some of Botswana’s biggest metal bands, but since the Marok scene is very small, they only play shows every few months. “When they do have a show, rockers from all around Botswana make the effort to show up, even if they have to travel 700km from another town,” Shiakallis says. At festivals or shows with big lineups, the Morok tend to unite beforehand to “march for a cause.” They first donate to an elected charity, then march together, led by Marok men dragging chains on the ground as the parade of metalheads mount each others’ shoulders and play fight in “ritualistic dances.” “It’s a very surreal sight,” Shiakallis says.

Here’s a fast example.