#pumzi

Although the course is centered on Afrofuturism, Professor Tananarive Due also informed the class about a distinctly African-centered form of Black Speculative fiction called Africanfuturism. Nnedi Okorafor is recognized as the “Godmother of Africanfuturism” because she coined the term in a blog post that she published in 2019. In “Why I Coined the Term Africanfuturism”, Okorafor states that

“Africanfuturism is concerned with visions of the future, is interested in technology, leaves the earth, skews optimistic, is centered on and predominantly written by people of African descent (black people) and it is rooted first and foremost in Africa. It's less concerned with "what could have been" and more concerned with "what is and can/will be". It acknowledges, grapples with and carries "what has been".

Nnedi Okorafor is an Africanfuturistic writer who has won the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, and Wole Soyinka Prize for Africa. She has authored several books including Who Fears Death (World Fantasy Award for Best Novel), The Book of Phoenix, The Binti Trilogy, The Akata series, and Zahrah the Windseeker (winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature). Her short story called “Spider the Artist” a great example of what Africanfuturism is. The key themes from the story are revolution, humans vs. technology, music as escape, music as a link between “life” forms, exploitation of African/Nigerian resources (oil), corruption in Nigeria, domestic abuse, human/technology connection and robot sentience. An important thing to note is that this story focuses primarily on the African experience and does not center aroumd Black-white race relations as opposed to Afrofuturism. Another short story that exemplifies Africanfuturism is “Rusties”, written by Nnedi Okorafor and Wanuri Kahiu. The main themes found in this story are humans vs. technology, privacy rights, government vs. the people, human / technology connection, robot sentience, and what is “love”. Again, this short story does not center around the West/Europeans but on futuristic issues impacting African societies. 

The 2009 film, Pumzi is an African-futurist film which deals with issues such as environmental collapse, and importantly for this post, the suppression of dreams in favor of technological advancement. The way I see it, suppression of dreams can be equally associated with suppression of culture. Many African cultures (with Vodou spirituality being my most knowledgeable field) interpret dreams for prophecy, religious callings, and communication with higher beings. With this being said, and keeping in mind that Pumzi (2009) is specifically an African-futurist narrative, one comes to the conclusion that suppression of dreams represents a separation from faith, the environment, and one another. Considering the desolate landscape in which the film takes place, in which technological progression is the only way for humanity to stay afloat; it also symbolizes a pessimistic view on the future wherein there is no actual hope that things will get better, or that “dreams come true.” The world of Pumzi (2009) has almost successfully eradicated hope; but in the end, hope is what will save the environment and humanity from itself.

Kudzani Moswela as Asha in PUMZI – 2009

Doug Johnson

Blog #1

Welcome to my blog, my name is Doug Johnson, and this will be posted shortly to https://dougblessed.tumblr.com. I am in Tananarive Due’s Afrofuturism course at UCLA Spring quarter 2019. Last Tuesday Reginald Hudlin was scheduled to attend class, but due to a scheduling conflict, he canceled. I was excited to listen to Mr. Hudlin to speak and gain an insight into his experiences as a creative. I have watched many of his films starting with House Party.  What I wanted to ask him about was his work with Marvel and his 3 volumes of writing the Black Panther.  

Reginald Hudlin’s Black Panther run was after Christopher Priest’s captaincy of T’Challa. Priest’s run returned Black Panther to a prominent position in Marvel by having his own book clawing his way out of the shadows of the Fantastic Four and or the Avengers. No longer a marginalized character Black Panther and Preist’s storylines of political maneuvering and palace intrigue cemented the Wakandan King.  Christopher Preist created and introduced the Dora Milaje, a team of female bodyguards drawn from all the tribes of Wakanda. However, in Preist’s version, they were also wives in waiting. Priest helmed the Black Panther comic books from 1998 to 2003. Excellent read I would advise picking up volumes 1 and 2.

In 2005 Reginald Hudlin took over the writing responsibility of the Black Panther for Marvel.  What he created like Priest became canon. Hudlin solidified the fact that Wakanda has never been, repeat has never been conquered. However, the portion that I find the most exciting and relatable to the Afrofuturism course is that Reginald Hudlin and John Romita Jr. co-created Shuri. Who in Ryan Coogler’s smash hit Marvel film The Black Panther Shuri is the most intelligent person in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and has the best grasp of technology. At the Beginning of Hudlin’s version, she was more of a bratty younger sister. Who tried to sneak in and fight to become the Black Panther. Toward the end of Hudlin’s run on the Black Panther, T’Challa was not able to rule (literally in hell), and Shuri became the Black Panther. In light of the class discussions the previous week where we analyzed Pumzi, Dirty Computer, and the US all having black women as protagonists saving the day. Shuri, as a character fits right in with the other women, we discussed by her intelligence and strength.

I would have loved to ask Hudlin about his thought process in the creation of Shuri and also her fantastic story arch. Ta-Nehisi Coates, who is writing Black Panther now, also did some cool things with Shuri where she developed powers from the ancestors, but we will get into that another time.

Pumzi (2009)