In today’s comments, we parsed out the procedure for the perfect selfie, chose the historical figures we wished would just stay in the past, and looked at the global reach of afrofuturism.
Today, we hosted a Q&A with the author of Afrofuturism, Ytasha Womack. In response to a question from commenter mxyzptlk, Womack told us that, futurism is not just a movement across time, but also borders:
https://gizmodo.com/ytasha-womack-author-of-afrofuturism-is-here-to-answe-1450004954
Afrofuturism is very cyclical. In addition to zig zagging between the past and the future, plucking cultural nuggets along the way, the aesthetic is equally influenced on all sides. The term Afrofuturism was created in the US and uses African metaphors. Many people in Africa now use Afrofuturism to describe a cultural lens they’ve been working with for a very long time. It gives people on all sides a new way to view their work and contributions.
In response to a question from kse91holydiver, she also explained how Afrofuturists view race:
Black is both a cultural and political term, but how it is defined shifts depending on the country you’re in, etc. Afrofuturists see race as a technology in that it is a man-made creation. Many Afrofuturists include a host of cultures and people in their storytelling because this idea of race as a creation impacts everyone. There’s an appreciation of universality as well.
https://gizmodo.com/1450202850
Image: weerapong pumpradit / Shutterstock
