Reclaiming History Through Alien Abductions

Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic that combines science-fiction, history, and fantasy in different media formats and allows an analysis through a black cultural lens. The term has its origins in African American science-fiction, however, nowadays it is more commonly used in the visual arts and music when exploring the past and future role of slavery. The main themes of Afrofuturism are reclamation, revisioning the past and the future, liberation, and hope.

While Afrofuturism leans on ancient African traditions, as does the Marvel movie Black Panther, oftentimes it highlights the idea of slavery as an alien abduction. The similarities between science-fiction alien abductions and the abductions of Africans offer this form of equalization. In neither scenario do the abductees know their abductors, their destinations are unknown to them, as are the reasons for their abduction. Furthermore, the term ‘alien’ also means ‘foreign’, thereby supporting the idea that an alien abduction is simply an abduction by someone unknown to the abductee. The aesthetic grants a new reclaiming perspective on horrific parts of American history through a science-fiction lens.

The abduction oriented part of Afrofuturism relies on the assumption that the humans in America were never actually human. This means that every abductee has been living in an alien-nation since the 18th century and mixing with aliens throughout the years, which in turn means that no African American descendant owes anything to the status of human either. This is especially visible in music and the visual arts. Artists such as Sun Ra also went by “Ambassador to the Emperor of the Omniverse”, Lee Perry by “Inspector Gadget”, and George Clinton used “Starchild” as one of his names. The visuals overflow with spaceships, stereotypical alien depictions, and portrayals of the universe.

Stereotypical Afrofuturistic media seems silly without knowing the term’s background. There are people of color who dress up as aliens and step out of a fuming spaceship: it all appears like a marketing strategy to target a specific group of science-fiction nerds. However, even then the common thread of hope and liberation is visible, and the term’s definition offers a deeper explanation: reclaiming their history through science-fiction allows the African American population to finally gain power over their own narrative, to examine alienation, to express their hopes for a better future, and to show acts of liberation in their favor. It is a powerful tool to grant an important minority a strong voice and offer them access to mainstream media through popular genres.