About this episode
Time for another detour! An introduction to Afrofuturism with two magnificent guests. You can follow the podcast on social media on Threads, Instagram and Bluesky. If you would like to be a patron of the podcast it would be greatly appreciated! You can join Patreon and for £3 or $3 a month you can get ad free version of the show. https://www.patreon.com/everyscififilm The symbol mentioned in the podcast a few times is the Sankofa symbol which is a recurring symbol in Afrofuturism. It represents the idea that there are things that you go back for (and things you leave behind). You can read more about it on this wiki page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankofa Julian Chambliss is a scholar and a professor at Michigan State University. He is the author of multiple books including Mapping Afrofuturism: Understanding Black Speculative Practice Ytasha Womack is a filmmaker, cultural critic and author of the books Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture and The Afro Futurist Evolution: Creative Paths of Self Discovery. Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:18 Afrofuturism origin story 08:04 Afrofuturism and science fiction 11:44 Retro Afrofuturism: Of One Blood by Pauline Hopkinson 16:37 The diaspora and Afrofuturism 19:53 Dance and the individual as a nexus of time and space 23:24 Ancestry in Afrofuturism 25:32 Moving away from dystopia: Slavery as apocalypse 29:55 Optimism for the future 33:03 Holistic utopias and protopia. 35:43 Mystical frameworks 38:15 Alternative realities and the multiverse 41:38 Theory, practice and interconnectedness 46:21 Recommendations Recommendations: The Afro Futurist Evolution: Creative Paths of Self Discovery by Ytasha Womack (I would also thoroughly recommend her book Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture.) Agharta by Miles Davis Blake; or The Huts of America: A Tale of the Mississippi Valley, the Southern United States, and Cuba by Martin Delany Space is the Place by Sun Ra Lee "Scratch" Perry George Clinton Mothership Connection by Parliament Pedro Bell and Overton Loyd Beyond the Black Panther exhibition at MSU Rise podcast by Julian Infinitum by Tim Fielder NEXT EPISODE! Next time we'll be talking about Dr Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and love the Bomb (1964)! You can watch the film pretty much anywhere and it is readily available to buy or rent online from many platforms. I would also recommend watching Fail Safe from the same year because it is excellent, affected the production of Dr Strangelove and due to their similarities.