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The term ‘Afrofuturism’ was coined in 1990s by, cultural critic, Mark Dery in his edited collection Flame Wars: The Discourse of Cyberculture. Dery uses the term Afrofuturism to define “speculative fiction that treats African-American themes and addresses African-American concerns in the context of 20th century technoculture — and more generally, African-American signification that appropriates images of technology and a prosthetically enhanced future.” (Dery 1994: 136) Lisa Yaszek interprets Dery’s definition in two-parts: “as the first part of Dery’s definition suggests, Afrofuturism is closely related to science fiction as an aesthetic genre…However, as Dery argues in the second half of his definition, Afrofuturism is not only a subgenre of science fiction. Instead, it is a larger aesthetic mode that encompasses a diverse range of artists working in different genres and media who are united by their shared interest in projecting black futures derived from Afrodiasporic experiences.” (Yaszek 2006) Other definitions of Afrofuturism come from Ytasha Womack, in which she defines Afrofuturism as “ an intersection of imagination, technology, the future, and liberation.” (Womack 2013: 9). Lastly, Adriano Elia describes Afrofuturism as “a transdisciplinary cultural movement based upon the unusual connection between the marginality of allegedly “primitive” people of the African diaspora and “modern” technology and science fiction.” (Elia 2014: 83) In his article, “The Languages of Afrofuturism,” Elia considers the different languages of Afrofuturism through the art of Basquiat, music of Sun Ra, and literature of W. E. B. Du Bois, Ralph Ellison, and Octavia Butler. Though there are many definitions of Afrofuturism, they all have themes of reclamation, black liberation, and revisioning of the past and predictions of the future through a black cultural lens in common.
I was an Afrofuturist before the term existed. And any sci-fi fan, comic book geek, fantasy reader, Trekker, or science fair winner who ever wondered why black people are minimized in pop culture depictions of the future, conspicuously absent from the history of science, or marginalized in the roster of past inventors and then actually set out to do something about it could arguably qualify as an Afrofuturist as well.
together with their music. Adriano Elia describes Ra’s music as aiming “it was aimed at denouncing racial discrimination by underlining the potential of marginalized black people.” (Elia 2014: 87) They even embodied an Afrofuturist aesthetic by dressing as if they were extras from a sci-fi film. Other jazz artists from the 1950s and 1960s include John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Jimi Hendrix with some psychedelic, sci-fi inspired tunes. The 70s and 80s gave us George Clinton and his band Parliament and Prince. And in the 90s, Afrofuturism combed with multiple genres like hip hop (Outkast), neo-soul (Erykah Badu) and techno, all embracing the ideas of Afrofuturism and giving their own spin on it. All these musicians had their own hand in envisioning the future for Black people and showing how cool Afrofuturism could be in their present time.
Though Afrofuturist music did not begin to bud until the 1950s, the literature can be found as far back as the nineteenth
century. Lisa Yaszek cites Martin Delany, Charles Chesnutt, and Edward Johnson (Yaszek 2006) as early Afrofuturist story tellers. These artists told stories of changing science and societal conditions pertaining to African-American history and future. Writers like W.E.B DuBois and Ralph Ellison are also considered early Afrofuturist contributors. Ellison’s Invisible Manwas seen to serve as a sort of preface to Afrofuturism because it discussed the social conditions and alienation of Black people using alienation and technology, but he failed to create a future in his novel. Other writers who are thought to have contributed a significant amount of Afrofuturist literature are Octavia Butler and, Harlem-born sci-fi writer, Samuel Delany. Butler is credited with making a special connection to women readers through her use o heroines in her Afrofuturist novels. Though, unlink some sci-fi stories set in an apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic state, Butler writes about evolution through the unity of race. Adriano Elia described the impact of these writers the best: “…In each of these works, the futuristic and
supernatural elements…show a new way to deal with old issues and reveal an innovative Afrofuturist perspective on the condition of people of the Black diaspora.” (2014: 94)
Now that we have looked at Afrofuturism through the lenses of science and technology, literature, music, art, and aesthetics. Where do we go from here? Afrofuturism has allowed for those things that used to be uncool and nerdy to become interesting and at the forefront of our lives. Afrofuturism continues to live on and be reinvented through twenty-first century writers and musicians such as Solange, Janelle Monae, Lupe Fiasco, and others. We see it in films such as Black Panther. Afrofuturism is currently dominating the media and continuing to open up young children to endless ways to interpret and change our Black history through the past and future.
Sun Ra is considered a pioneer in Afrofuturism music and style. Originally released as a Afrofuturist science fiction film, this video is just the music.
Much like Sun Ra, Parliament Funkadelic had a distinct futuristic sound and style.
In this video, Erykah Badu walks through the desert in a tin foil costume. Is the survivor of an apocalypse or alien visiting the earth?
The beginning of the video sets this video ‘3,000 lightyears’ into the future and features Andre 3000 as an alien, backed by other aliens, interacting with his human love interest.
Though the visuals are not as alien like or ‘funky’ as the pervious artists, Solange’s video and song give viewers a view of the Black experience through the lens of hair, exploring the past and present.
The multiracial adaptation of the 1962 science fantasy novel A Wrinkle in Time has, according to author and filmmaker Ytasha Womack, an Afrofuturistic signature of “strong female” characters.[1]
Directed by Ryan Cooley and based on the superhero comic book, the film follows Prince T’Challa and his mission to protect his kingdom, Wakanda, after his father is murdered.[2]
A superhero film that features Blade, a Black human-vampire hybrid, who protects humanity against evil vampires.[3]
The film, directed by Ethiopian-born Haile Gerima, features a contemporary model who, during a photo shoot, suddenly finds herself on a plantation in the Southern United States during the plantation era.[4]
Delany, Samuel R. 2001. Dhalgren. Vintage .
In this novel, the protagonist is exploring the fictional city of Bellona which is cut off from the rest of the world by a catastrophe.
Butler, Octavia E. 1989. Lilith’s Brood. New York: Grand Central Publishing.
This three part series follows a human named Lilith who has survived a war between the Soviet Union and the United States. She must choose between being ‘bred’ by aliens and surviving or fighting along her species against the aliens.
In this book, Womack explores the meaning of Afrofuturism and how its manifested in science technology, art, music, literature.
