Afrofuturism combines diverse elements of both the literary and musical genres that juxtapose into a combustible mix to create something surreal, tangible and intriguing on so many levels. Hip-hop, science fiction, avant-garde, fantasy, Afrocentricity and cutting edge magic realism mash up into something fresh that crosses the music and imagery of Parliament-Funkadelic with the canvasses of Jean-Michel Basquiat and the rhythms of Afrika Bambaataa with the imagination of Blade Runner and the Egyptian gods.
Afrofuturism spans both underground and mainstream pop culture seeking both to entertain and enlighten. While breaking down racial, ethic and social classes to empower all individuals to be free of life’s boundaries. One of the most visible people in the genre today is Ytasha Womack, a Chicago native who writes, dances, innovates and makes films with a passion that defines herself and her work. Don Diva took the time to get with this sister and let you know what is going on with her and Afrofuturism.
What is Afrofuturism?
Afrofuturism is a way of looking at possible futures or alternative realities through a black cultural lens.. Afrofuturism is an intersection between black culture, the imagination, liberation, technology and in many cases mysticism. It is an artistic aesthetic, a way to explore otherness, and a tool for healing. It pulls heavily
from nonwestern cosmologies and intersects with indigenous culture and feminism. It captures everything from Sun Ra and George Clinton to Octavia Butler and Flying Lotus. It looks at the fact that many social change agents including W.E.B Dubois and Martin Luther King were sci-fi fans and that the imagination is a tool of resilience.
Afrofuturism differs from traditional sci-fi in that black cultures around the world shape the context. Unlike traditional sci-fi, Afrofuturism incorporates a great deal of spirituality.
It values timelessness over simply the celebration of the future and views the future, past and present as one. Afrofuturism also values the feminine aspect of humanity and celebrates intuition, nonlinear thinking, emotions and nature. Afrofuturism views race as a technology that falsely separates humanity from itself.
Photo taken by Tony Smith
How did you get involved?
I was actually an Afrofuturist and didn’t know it for some time. I was introduced to the concepts when I was in college at Clark Atlanta University. But I just learned the term a few years ago when artist D. Denenge Akpem, a pal of mine mentioned that she was teaching an Afrofuturism course at a college. Once I learned the term I realized that much of my life was engaged in ideas around Afrofuturism. I had a host of friends who were musicians, science lovers and history buffs who worked with these ideas as well. I grew up in a philosophy that valued mysticism and the imagination. I was one of those kids who wanted to be a scientist, cartoonist and dancer at the same time while chronicling missing histories about people of African and Native descent. I was an Afrofuturist all day long and discovering that term gave me new insights into my work and interests.
Who is involved in the movement besides yourself?
There are many Afrofuturists championing new works. King Britt is a producer and curates the MoonDance music and arts event that debuted at the MoMA PS1. John Jennings is a professor and avid artist who coordinates events to showcase comic books and Afrofuturists works. Rasheedah Philips heads the Afrofuturist Affair, a collective in Philadelphia. Ingrid LaFleur is an arts curator and assembled Afrotopia in Detroit. Wildseed is an artist/activist collective in New Orleans. Adrienne Maree Brown and Walidah Imarisha released Octavia’s Brood and explore activism and Afrofuturism. Edson Burton curates Afrofuturist film events in the UK. Floyd Webb is a film curator who cohosts the Afrofuturism849 events with me in Chicago each month. There are really too many Afrofuturists to name, not to mention all of the sci-fi writers and visionaries who worked before the name Afrofuturism emerged including Samuel Delany, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, Mark Barnes and more. Then you have theorists like DJ Spooky, Alondra Nelson, Greg Tate, Mark Dery, Kodwoe Eshun and Mark Sinker and others who really helped anchor the concepts of Afrofuturism as critical theory.
What is the title of your book and what is it about?
I wrote Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi & Fantasy Culture (Lawrence Hill Books) as a primer for those who were interested in Afrofuturism. I wrote about it thinking of college friends of mine who could have used a book like Afrofuturism to anchor their ideas and help them figure out how to build on their visions. I emphasize the power of the imagination in the book. While I was writing Afrofuturism, I was inspired to write Rayla 2212 which I launched at Chicago Comic Con. Rayla 2212 follows a war strategist on a former earth colony 200 years into the future. She has to restore her dystopian world and is charged to find missing Neo Astronauts who are trapped in space in time as they attempted to travel with their minds. The books includes reincarnation, love triangles, time travel and multiple dimensions. In fact, the book inspired Duke University’s first Race and Space Conference. Astronaut Mae Jemison was our special guest and she talked about the 100 Year Starship Program – a program she launched to explore the technologies needed to get humans to a distant star in the next century.
Where are you from and how did you come up?
I was born and raised in Chicago. I’m a South Side girl. I was a pretty smart kid who liked science, history and studied all forms of dance. I wanted to be a paleontologist and later an anthropologist. I was a total book worm. I spent my childhood summers jumping double dutch and hanging out in libraries and museums. I read nonfiction, biographies and pretty much anything about science or history. As I began to write reports and research for school, it became obvious that all history, particularly as it related to people of African and Native descent was not written. I also noticed that there was a difference between the world of black people on the news and the world I lived in, so I had an understanding of media bias at an early age which ultimately led me to majoring in journalism in college.
How does hip-hop relate to comics and vice versa?
Both are examples of remix culture. Comics take text, an array of images and plays off archetypes and universal themes to create a succinct message that feels urgent, youthful and always present. Hip hop, at its core, takes metaphors, samples, electronic beats and imagery to create an urgent, youthful and emotion that feels very now. Both cultures pull from a wide swath of information, present it in a mashup and leave it to the audience to decipher. Both cultures are based around a heroism where the main character must overcome some major hurdle that defines their story and music. Drake’s “started from the bottom” mantra rings true for hip hop culture and most super heroes, even if that started from the bottom concept is more of a metaphor than fact. Both cultures are debated as to whether they are “high art” or not. Both cultures have an affinity for aliases, tagger names, and double identities.
Both cultures, originally, spoke largely to young men and explored the coming of age debacle. Both cultures originally spoke to people who felt like outsiders and made a political commentary of sorts about conformity, otherness or just being different (X-Men, Superman, etc).
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Where does the science fiction element in Afrofuturism come from?
The science fiction element comes from people of African descent wanting to see images of themselves in the future. Science fiction up until fairly recently has had very little cultural diversity. There are lots of green aliens and white American men but very few Black, Latino, Native American and Asian people from Earth. There weren’t many women heroines either. So Afrofuturism introduces the concept that everyone can shape the future. Afrofuturism is also a way to reclaim the contributions that people of African descent have made to the sciences throughout human history. It states that people of African descent have always had a relationship with science, space and the broader world.
The focus on otherness and alienation has been the subject of Afrofuturist essays at the turn of the 21st century with some writers arguing that the experience of Africans in America is symbolic of the alien experience in novels and sci-fi films. Even the creators of Twilight Zone said they used the TV show and sci-fi stories to make commentary about race relations at that time.
But generally, using the imagination to reinvent your world or envision the future can be very empowering for people and usually shifts their thinking and how they experience the world.
What else do you have in the works?
I’m shooting a sci-fi/Afrofuturist film called “Bar Star City” this summer. I’m the writer/director and I’m pretty excited about it. I’m also working on the next Rayla 2212 book.
To someone that has not experienced Afrofuturism what would you tell them to convince them to check it out?
I would say to listen to Sun Ra and George Clinton. Listen to Detroit techno, Chicago house and Beat Music and think about digital music as a way of reimagining oneself.
As for literature, check out the anthologies Dark Matters edited by Sheree R. Thomas and Mothership: Tales From Afrofuturism & Beyond edited by Bill Campbell. There are a host of art exhibits traveling around, too. Check out Black Kirby works by John Jennings and Stacye Robinson, the Black Future Month art shows curated by Danilo McCallum in Toronto. Cyrus Kabiru makes amazing glasses C-Stunner Glasses in South Africa, or works by Wangechi Mutu. Most of these works you can find samples of online. You can also check out music and art work on my website to find out about events in your area.
Is Afrofuturism a movement? Where do you fall?
I’m not sure if it’s a movement, because Afrofuturism, even before the evolution of the term, has always existed. I think that people want to reimagine their lives and their world. They want to create and build on myths that transform culture to recognize its humanity and Afrofuturism is a way of exploring this. The excitement about at this Afrofuturism makes sense because it’s a new time and people are looking to shape the 21st century in a way that helps people feel connected to the best of themselves. I see myself as a person who helps others to help see themselves and their broader connection to humanity.
Check out www.iafrofuturism.com or follow @iafrofuturism on Twitter
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