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Clarified: What is Afrofuturism?

Afrofuturism is a term to describe a growing movement of Black art, music, dance and
film.

Share    Updated: 6:50 AM PST Mar 1, 2023

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By Georgina Gonzalez

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Some of the biggest science fiction and fantasy epics of our time all have one thing in common.
From Harry Potter to Star Wars to Lord of the Rings, all of these cultural phenomenons are
centered on an overwhelmingly white cast, omitting people of color, especially Black people. Many
of these genres address themes of marginalization, colonialism and discrimination, often serving
as a metaphor for the experiences of oppressed peoples. With the exclusion of Black people from
these narratives, many artists, writers and musicians have decided to create a new genre in which
Black people are centered, using Afrofuturism.

What is Afrofuturism?

Afrofuturism as a term was coined in 1994 by culture

critic and author Mark Dery. He posed the question
“Why do so few African Americans write science fiction,
a genre whose close encounters with the Other – the
stranger in a strange land – would seem uniquely
suited to the concerns of African American novelists?”
in his essay, "Black to the Future." He went on to use
the term “Afrofuturism” to describe the work of Black
artists, writers, filmmakers and philosophers who
incorporated magical or impossible themes into their
work while centering the Black experience. According
to Ytasha Womack, author of the book “Afrofuturism,”
the umbrella term can be defined as “ a way of looking
at the future, or alternate realities doing so through
black cultural lenses. It does so by intersecting
imagination, liberation, mysticism, technology.” She
says you can look at Afrofuturism in one of three main
ways; as an aesthetic found in fashion, music and art,
as an epistemology or a way of looking at the world or
as a practice that can guide creativity.

Advertisement Who are the Afrofuturists?

Since the term Afrofuturism is an umbrella, the way it manifests itself can look and sound very
different. Womack says that a key part of Afrofuturism is the remixing of time and space and the
idea that these concepts are not linear but are much more fluid. Jazz composer, musician and poet
Sun Ra is often regarded as one of the most prominent Afrofuturists and it is clear to see how he
pulls from a variety of time periods and genres in his work.

“He takes the Egyptian tropes, the ancient Egyptian, not just imagery, but literally names himself
after an Egyptian god. Simultaneously he says he's from Saturn, and that informs his music in his
worldview,” said Womack. Singers and songwriters Erykah Badu and Janelle Monae are both
recognized as Afrofuturists, often using intergalactic themes and imagery alongside traditional
Black and African textures and styles. Other Afrofuturists include artist Nick Cave and science
fiction writer Octavia Butler.

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Increasing popularity

Allen Lamb is the brand lead for AFROPUNK, an annual festival held in dozens of cities across the
globe that celebrates black alternatives.

“The vision for the festival is really steeped in a lot of the elements of creativity. I think about
science fiction, sci-fi, cosplay, which we’re increasingly seeing at the festivals, art, fashion and then
of course at the center is always music,” Lamb said. “We absolutely consider it to be an expression
of Afrofuturism.”

The festival began in a Brooklyn parking lot and now reaches over 100,000 people across the world
from Brazil to South Africa. Its growing popularity reflects a concurrent rise in Afrofuturism in
popular media. The most recent example of Afrofuturism in the mainstream media is Marvel’s
Black Panther movies.

“Black Panther, the film, surely, I think demonstrated to a lot of people that there's an excitement
about the black speculative imagination, and these really cool stories,” said Womack, who is
coming out with a Black Panther book. “There's a demand for them.” Other hits include Lovecraft
country on HBO, the adaptation of Octavia Butler’s book Kindred into a Hulu show and even
Jordan Peele’s genre-bending horror and sci-fi films. Some of the biggest cultural institutions in
the country are also showcasing Afrofuturism. In the MET museum in New York City, there’s a
permanent Afrofuturist period room based on the history of the Black inhabitants of Seneca
Village. Carnegie Hall held an Afrofuturist music festival in 2022, Nick Cave has a retrospective of
his work up in the Guggenheim and the National Museum of African American History and Culture
is opening an Afrofuturism exhibit in 2023.

The power of a dream

Whilst the future is integral to the concept of Afrofuturism, looking to the past is an equally
important part of the practice. Looking back to the histories and experiences of the African
diaspora helps Afrofuturists shape the future in a more positive way and gives space for healing
and liberation from a past and present rife with subjugation and pain.

“When you're in a tough circumstance, it can be a little difficult to think about what's next, or how
to get to the next step, or how to get beyond the problem,” says Womack. “People have to find any
kind of resilience to survive in new landscapes and build and grow and adapt.”

Finding the resilience to think beyond a current situation and dream of something better is at the
heart of Black activism and civil rights as well as Afrofuturism. Looking at this struggle for freedom
through an Afrouturist lens, we can see that leaders like Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr,
Angela Davis and Malcolm X are all Afrofuturists with a dream of a better tomorrow.

“In times of when people are reconciling with liberation or their dreaming of freedom, dreams are
taking action. They are propelled by a new future that they are creating through their actions,”
Womack said. “When looking at the efforts and the work that people did to create new futures, we
realize that we're in that future and that simultaneously were part of a continuum where the
actions and the decisions and the thoughts that we have now are creating new futures for others.”

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Man killed in stabbing at Downtown Commons

area of Sacramento
The crime scene, just outside the Golden 1 Center, was feet away from families lining up
for a concert Tuesday night

Share    Updated: 11:19 PM PST Nov 14, 2023

Jonathan Ayestas  Orko Manna  

Digital Producer Reporter

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A man who was stabbed on Tuesday in the Downtown Commons
area of Sacramento died of his injuries, police said.

The Sacramento Police Department said officers around 4:45 p.m. went to the busy shopping and
dining plaza for a report of a stabbing. There, they found one man with at least one stab wound.

Police said the man was sent to the hospital in critical

condition, and he later died of his injuries.

Details were not released as to what caused the

stabbing or how many other people were involved. It is
also unknown if this attack was random or targeted.

Authorities have not released the identity of the man

who was killed. As of Tuesday night, Sacramento police
did not release a description of the suspect.

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#BREAKING: @SacPolice are investigating a stabbing at DOCO. Police say a man was
stabbed & is in critical condition at the hospital. This happened across from the Golden
1 Center, as families arrive for a Lauren Daigle concert. Police are still looking for the
suspect. @kcranews pic.twitter.com/Zoi9ba1alD

— Orko Manna (@orko_manna) November 15, 2023

A pool of blood was spotted near the patio space by the Golden 1 Center, which is an area that sees
a lot of foot traffic.

The crime scene was just feet away from families who were lining up to see the contemporary
Christian singer Lauren Daigle in concert at the Golden 1 Center on Tuesday night. Many said
seeing the caution tape and the barricades was scary and surprising.

"I'm actually shocked. It looks like a family-filled environment," concert attendee Sarah Bagnani of
Chico said. "It's just unfortunate and sad."

Concertgoer Christie Gilliatt, of Twain Harte, said she was relying on Lauren Daigle's lyrics to help
her process the scary scene unfolding next to the concert venue doors.

"One of the songs talks about how we hear God's voice and his whisper even in the darkest of
moments, and I feel like this is just really ringing true. It's a dark moment. It's a sad situation that
this happened, but we have to hold on to God's word and let that carry us forward," Gilliatt said.

But some locals, such as Sacramento resident Roy Henderson, said they were not surprised by the
deadly stabbing given the recent violence downtown.

"Just society today, you just don't know. Anything can happen at any time to anyone. No one is
safe," Henderson said.

This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 for the latest.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app.

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