Africanfuturism + Afrofuturism + Africanjujuism
Greetings,
Here are some things I have been reading, listening to, thinking about over the last week.
1
While Afrofuturism has consistently fascinated me, there was also an element that felt a little off for me as an African. And, while I am a fan of Black Panther, it was never lost on me that it was created by two white American men, Stan Lee and Alan Kirby, and has retained a very Western, American context over the years, even in its celebration of Blackness and Africanness. In Afrofuturism, Africanfuturism and the Language of Black Speculative Literature, I find my place. I have previously shared Nnedi Okorafor’s post on Africanfuturism but will do so again, and she also talks about it in this episode of Between The Covers.
2
Ytasha Womack’s book’s Afrofuturism book is a dope peak into that world. When I had my radio show, I was able to navigate disparate time zones and interview her. Sadly, it doesn’t look like the interview is online any longer - I will try to get it there - but I do recommend picking up the book.
3
Thinking of trying my hand at short story writing and a friend recommended Lesley Nneka Arimah’s collection, When A Man Falls From The Sky. What a brilliant book, even in the uncomfortable moments. Some of her stories left a deep sadness which I didn’t think I could get beyond, but get past, I did. In 2019, she won the Caine Prize for African Writing with her short story Skinned. Nice interview with her following the winning of the Caine Prize. ‘More weirdness, more work that’s unconcerned with explaining “Africa” to the West, more work that doesn’t care what people think. More of that, please.’ - An interview with Caine Prize winner Lesley Nneka Arimah.
4
“Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time.” —Jean-Michel Basquiat
5
I have a small record (vinyl) collection primarily consisting of what my father collected in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s with a splattering of my own. Fortunately, I am not as obsessive as Diggers and dreamers: vinyl collectors in Africa’s city of gold.
6
The role that architecture plays in how we view ourselves is often subtle, but is there, nonetheless. Architect David Adjaye builds an African future.
7
Trying to be a bit more deliberate about my playlists. Here’s a Massive Attack one that I have fiddled a bit with in the last week.
That’s it for this week. If you enjoyed, please share. If it was shared with you, please subscribe.
Easy
Kojo