Afrofuturism

According to Cambridge Dictionary, Afrofuturism is “a style of literature, music, art, etc. that combines science-fiction elements (= stories or ideas about an imagined future) with ideas from the culture and history of Africa and African people.” Its main aim is somehow to link those from the Black diaspora with their actual origins. In order to believe in a proper future for themselves the musicians, artists, actors, philosophers, academics created a story in order to present a better future for Black people.

Throughout the years, African-American people have been struggling with establishing their own identities in the US, especially due to the history and injustice they dealt with in the past, Afrofuturism is a way for them to enlarge their ideas, visions and produce their own cultural movement, being also a powerful force. However, the term that is highly manifested and used to describe their roles not only among people but also in the government in the US is the term “alien”. The idea of an “alien” comes from the fact that everyone who came from the outside of America is a creature from the outside. Hence, the essential goal of Afrofuturism is to reinforce the theme of equality, especially in cultural terms, as the whites are introduced in a variety of artistic works. 

For instance “The Black Panther”, a film directed by Ryan Coogler was one of the Afrofuturist films where Africa and Africans are depicted in a scientific, advanced society, putting the African American people in the forefront. This film sent the message that black stories in science fiction are as important for our future humanity as any other story. 

Nonetheless, a musician, composer, philosopher, and poet such as Sun Ra embodied Afrofuturism envisioning a future in terms of art and science as well as including the vision of Black people in it. He was one of the most extraordinary and creative figures in music history, not only with his appearance but also his performance and cultural activism. The contribution he made to Afro-American culture is outrageous, for he invented his own type of genre which was categorized mostly as Jazz, for that reason he is considered as one of the advocates of Afrofuturism.

A variety of different artists took part in creating their own genre and envisioning the African-American culture throughout it. They strived to develop the future for the Black people, where they will be allowed to exhibit their talents, especially when it comes to science-fiction.