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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.