Afrofuturism; Is that Not Black Panther
The Place of Afrofuturism in African Design
”Can a community whose past has been deliberately rubbed out, and whose energies have subsequently been consumed by the search for legible traces of its history, imagine possible futures? Furthermore, isn’t the unreal estate of the future already owned by the technocrats, futurologists, streamliners, and set designers ― white to a man ― who have engineered our collective fantasies?”
-Mark Dery
Eyewear Designer, Cyrus Kabiru makes his Afrofuturist pieces from recycled waste
The word, coined by Mark Dery in 1994 in his essay ‘Black to the Future’, is a futuristic pan-Africanist representation of what Africa could be via the utopian reimagination and infusion of Africa’s history, present, and peoples with Western technological advancements. This marriage would result in an intersection where African culture and inspirations can sit comfortably amidst the white mainstream without a necessary erasure of said ‘Africanness’; an intersection that allows for a neutral juxtaposition of Sci-fi and the African culture. This vision stems from the experiences of Africans in Diaspora and it seeks to address ‘…themes and concerns of the African diaspora through a technoculture and science fiction lens’.
Despite the term being coined in the mid-90s, Afrofuturism can be traced back to the 70s, very notably in the eclectic music of Sun Ra, the photography of Renée Cox and the paintings of Jean-Michel Basquiat amongst others. These earlier representations depict the ideal of black optimists who- despite past and present hardships- could imagine a much better future for the black people. It is a cultural movement that looked to further pronounce the potential of the African people and their abilities to build a future for themselves regardless of societal constraints borne from their race, culture, and history. Afrofuturism is basically an empathetic subjection of African history, culture, hardships, and potentials into designed sci-fi imagery that would provide a spectrum of future possibilities for the black race.
Lekan Jeyifo’s Dystopian vision of Shany MegaSuperstructures located in Lagos’ commercial hubs
However, beyond Mark Bould’s categorization of Afrofuturism as “speculative fiction that treats African-American themes and addresses African-American concerns in the context of 20th-century technoculture”, the 21st century has seen a much more realistic representation of this utopian vision into projected possible realities. Sub-Sahara Africa designers have taken to using Afrofuturist concepts to address the problems pervading African fashion, architecture and tech designs. The release of the blockbuster Marvel franchise ‘Black Panther’ in February 2018 brought back to the fore what Afrofuturism represents. Despite the dominance of futuristic scientific advancements in the movie, there is the place of fusing these sci-fi properties with indigenous African culture and character. The East African fictional state of Wakanda is potently Black as the cultural practices of the Maasai and others clearly portrays. From the architecture and planning of Wakanda to wardrobe designer, Ruth E. Carter’s use of Kimoyo beads as a communication device; Black Panther expresses the ideal of Afrofuturism.
Illustration: Gabriela Landazuri/ Walt Disney Pictures
The current era provides a clime that could accommodate the inspirations that is drawn from Afrofuturism. Contemporary African designers have been given a platform to predict, speculate and prophecy the coming of an age where Africans would build their own world. Through the redesign and reimagination of existing concepts and their representation in science fiction artists like; Nigerian Designer Lekan Jeyifo, with his Shanty Mega Superstructures has given us an insight into the narratives of Lagos state slum-dwellers; Kenyan Photographer, Sunu Gonera, while speaking to Design Indaba says his photograph is “…about recreating a different Africa based on fantasy and fiction and our history and trying to project what the future will look like in a more engaging and positive way,”. Also, South Africa’s Michelle Mlati’s Spatial Megacities looks to rewrite the history of the marginalized communities of apartheid South Africa through the utopian representation of a space where everyone was ejected and all that is left is their voice.
Afrofuturism is gradually proving to be more than Black Panther, more than mere fiction or speculative reality, it has transcended the merely imaginary space to act as a potent source of inspirations for the new class of African Designers. It encourages them to think beyond their constraint and capabilities; to dream. This is the basic root of any idea or any revolution. More than ever, sci-fi gives a space for the prototypical representation of these ideals and if it would not be implemented now, it would alert the world of the coming of an era where the black culture dictates for itself.
And as author, Nnedi Okorafor so succinctly surmise, “African science fiction’s blood runs deep, and it’s old, and it’s ready to come forth. And when it does, imagine the new technologies, ideas and sociopolitical changes it will inspire.”
