Afrofuturism: Why black science fiction ‘can’t be ignored’
One study of the top 100 highest-grossing films in the US showed that just eight of those 100 movies had a non-white protagonist, as of 2014.
Six of those eight were Will Smith, according to diversity-focused book publisher Lee and Low Books.
The long-term exclusion of people of colour from science fiction offers up an interesting paradox.
How can a genre that imagines a future of infinite possibilities be seemingly unable to imagine a future where black people exist - or at least have any relevance?
Herein lies the power (and importance) of afrofuturism, and while you may not have heard of the term, there’s a good chance you’ve been introduced to it already.
Afrofuturism is perhaps best summed up by the queen of contemporary afrofuturism herself — Janelle Monae.
Her futuristic music videos and radical aesthetic (she even calls her fans “fAndroids”) are seen by some as a key force for pushing afrofuturism into the mainstream.
“Afrofuturism is me, us… is black people seeing ourselves in the future,” she explains in a 30-second video clip for Spotify.
It is no surprise then that Janelle cites the movement as the inspiration for her new narrative film, Dirty Computer: Emotion Picture, a visual accompaniment to her latest album (which is currently trending on YouTube).