07-30-2021, 12:33 AM
So what is Afrofuturism? (pronounced, Afro - Futurism).
Afrofuturism is a genre of science fiction which basically takes the ideas of classic science fiction and views them through a post african cultural lens, specifically that which has left africa and how it's evolved in the rest of the world in places like america, europe, asia, etc. It usually deals with a future that like cyberpunk is often the near future where things aren't always better, but where often things are focused on people of color rather than your usual protagonist, the majority of which are white, often reflecting the authors and world of the time. It also usually deals with themes like Alienation, Liberation, and how technology affects the way we perceive concepts like racism, classism, cultural appropriation, slavery and ethnocide. (the destruction of culture or history while keeping the people intact, as was happening with Christianity and the destruction of other religions and cultures for example).
The one important thing about science fiction is that it allows the author and reader to explore new worlds and ideas through a fantastical world, often challenging commonly accepted ideas and stereotypes (for example the idea that humans aren't the end all be all, or that any one group is dominant of another). This plays well into telling stories that that deal with ongoing issues in our world without directly calling out or challenging real world groups. In a way it's a kind of education on alternative perspectives and that's why I like science fiction in general, however I recently stumbled across the idea of afrofuturism and became fascinated since as a person who's view is absolute equality and a neo neitzchean perspective it lets me look at things from the other side rather than what's on the surface.
Much like cyberpunk Afrofuturism is also a mutli-media genre stretching across musical albums, TV series, movies, novels, and even comic books. Some notable examples include: the Album Deltron3030, The marvel black panther series of comics and movies, the Steven Barns Alternate history novels Lions blood and Zulu Heart, and many others.
it's an interesting change in perspective that like how anime and manga views things through a Japanese or Asian cultural lens, Akira, Gundam, Ghost in the shell, etc., you could consider classic science fiction as viewing things through a primarily white ethnocentric view, with Afrofuturism taking this idea and viewing it through the concepts and ideas common to Afican and Afican American culture and how it's transformed since the diaspora and exodus from Africa.
anyway that's the gist of it, so what do you guys think? does the idea intrigue you? are there other areas that pique your interest?, this should be open to discussion now that the overview is out of the way.
Afrofuturism is a genre of science fiction which basically takes the ideas of classic science fiction and views them through a post african cultural lens, specifically that which has left africa and how it's evolved in the rest of the world in places like america, europe, asia, etc. It usually deals with a future that like cyberpunk is often the near future where things aren't always better, but where often things are focused on people of color rather than your usual protagonist, the majority of which are white, often reflecting the authors and world of the time. It also usually deals with themes like Alienation, Liberation, and how technology affects the way we perceive concepts like racism, classism, cultural appropriation, slavery and ethnocide. (the destruction of culture or history while keeping the people intact, as was happening with Christianity and the destruction of other religions and cultures for example).
The one important thing about science fiction is that it allows the author and reader to explore new worlds and ideas through a fantastical world, often challenging commonly accepted ideas and stereotypes (for example the idea that humans aren't the end all be all, or that any one group is dominant of another). This plays well into telling stories that that deal with ongoing issues in our world without directly calling out or challenging real world groups. In a way it's a kind of education on alternative perspectives and that's why I like science fiction in general, however I recently stumbled across the idea of afrofuturism and became fascinated since as a person who's view is absolute equality and a neo neitzchean perspective it lets me look at things from the other side rather than what's on the surface.
Much like cyberpunk Afrofuturism is also a mutli-media genre stretching across musical albums, TV series, movies, novels, and even comic books. Some notable examples include: the Album Deltron3030, The marvel black panther series of comics and movies, the Steven Barns Alternate history novels Lions blood and Zulu Heart, and many others.
it's an interesting change in perspective that like how anime and manga views things through a Japanese or Asian cultural lens, Akira, Gundam, Ghost in the shell, etc., you could consider classic science fiction as viewing things through a primarily white ethnocentric view, with Afrofuturism taking this idea and viewing it through the concepts and ideas common to Afican and Afican American culture and how it's transformed since the diaspora and exodus from Africa.
anyway that's the gist of it, so what do you guys think? does the idea intrigue you? are there other areas that pique your interest?, this should be open to discussion now that the overview is out of the way.
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