Afrofuturism - Sun Ra (Calling Planet Earth)

The term afrofuturism refers to “a cultural aesthetic that combines science-fiction, history and fantasy to explore the African-American experience and aims to connect those from the black diaspora with their forgotten African ancestry” (Tate). Some influential figures to this concept are, for example, the writer Octavia Butler, the reggae producer Lee “Scratch” Perry and the Jazz musician Sun Ra. Looking back into the history of African Americans, race has always been a controversial topic. Therefore, the Afrofuturistic movement is on the one hand a way to help African Americans establish a prospect of the future based upon their own traditions and culture, on the other hand, to prevent their cultural heritages and memory from being submerged by the dominance of white supremacy. 

One of the most important Afrofuturists I particularly intend to talk about is Sun Ra, who is also regarded as an early proponent of Afrofuturism movement. His exploration and innovation of integrating blackness with ancient Egyptian culture were quite inspiring. For Sun Ra, Egyptian mythology might carry a crucially cultural significance as ancient Egypt was a civilisation of ancient Africa. After listening to some selections from Ra’s albums, what attracted me the most was “Calling Planet Earth.” I felt an undeniable fascination when I listened to it. The boldness and brilliance displayed through this composition were amazingly fascinating to me. I listened over and over again and never got tired of it. I can’t help dancing out of my seat, taking off my socks and tenderly, but freely moving with the soundtrack. I appeared to have become a free spirit wandering in my planet. The occasional  melodic chanting “Calling Planet” further brought vigour and freshness into this magnificent piece. If I ever need to pick up a piece whenever I feel like dancing, this one will definitely pop into my mind right away. 

More significantly, on top of the sounds, Ra also employed the visual performance into his compositional process. I can observe the use of saxophone and drums in the visual performance, and the alternatives of colourful images that may reflect some rituals or traditions of Black people. It is worth noting that the occasional saxophone notes were really the icing on the cake. According to Piotr Orlov, it is not far-fetched to say that Sun Ra has widened the boarder of the traditional methodology of composing modern creative music, and has become central to broader reappraisals of post-war African American and avant-garde art. Sun Ra’s philosophy, that using electric instruments in Jazz music and encouraging composers to improvise freely but simultaneously, has had an incredible impact on other musicians.