At Rest

A new flash fiction that I wrote. I hope you enjoy it. 

Why Big Solar is Bad

The Good News

There was a plan to build thousands of solar collectors in the arid lands of northern Africa, generate electricity for Europe and ruin an eco system that could affect our entire planet. A few billionaire playboys would have become richer; international bankers could have  skimmed millions of dollars in profits from clandestine interactions; local villagers would have lost everything and our global climate would have rushed closer  to destruction. It almost succeeded. The project was called the Desertec Industrial Initiative (DII). It failed. Lucky for us. 

Solar energy has been touted by proponents as the next major technological advance to protect the world from pollution and satisfy our hunger for electricity. We have been promised  that generating power from the sun was clean and effortless – as long as the sun is shining. The sun always shines someplace in the world especially in the desert -- where nothing lives. But the desert thrives with life.

So, instead of building small footprint solar panels, international corporations have hijacked a green industry and turned it dirty coal black. Corporate plans could cause environmental destruction on a scale that would shame the greediest billionaire. "Big Solar" seeks to imitate Big Oil. Some industrialists  seek to concentrate the generation of energy in the hands of a few for profit and not the benefit of society as a whole. Solar panels can be placed on every house, building and road. We don't need to destroy a wilderness. Try living off the grid.

Better News

Solar can be a personal affair. Every home can generate the electricity it needs; every community can store the power to keep schools running, traffic lights operating. Our food will stay frozen.

Now, environmentalists must not only save the rainforest from devastation, people must link hands to save the deserts, the wetlands, the glaciers, and our urban centers. 

Note: Not all Corporations are bad. Some actually do good and advance our civilization. But we must keep watch.

More about this will come later. . . .

Why We Need More Black Authors

During Black History Month, You Should be Reading Black Authors

Reading is not only fundamental, it is crucial to our lives. When we read, we learn and we expand our horizons. And, we should be learning throughout our entire lives. It is a sad commentary when you ask a friend, co-worker or relative what have they have read recently what websites do they follow and they can't answer the question.

We must read. By reading we discover our history, we have a better understanding of current events and get a glimpse of how to mold our future. Writers of African descent bring much to us in their books. 

Africa is where learning and books began. White historians have long proclaimed that African culture was based on the oral tradition; stories were passed along during camp fires. However, the truth is that Africa had great libraries and cities where scholars gathered to study medicine, astronomy, mathematics, engineering and other sciences. Visit the Tombocutou Manuscripts Project to discover more.

During February, 2014 Black History Month, expand your horizons.Support AFROCentric writers. Read and purchase their books. Give honest reviews online. If you are a writer, publish independently. Promote and make people aware your books.

We desperately need more Black writers. The National Black Book Festival is a good start. In this age of information overload, it is important that Black people tell their own stories. 

Big money will commit billions of dollars to persuade you to vote Republican and against your own best interests. But independent authors will give you a different prospective. 

Choosing A Future

  

Utopian and Dystopian Fiction in the African Diasporia

Yea! it is the year 2014. When I was a kid, I was sure that by the year 2000 we would all be living in the future -- like the Jetsons and their flying cars.  To my knowledge, however, the Jetsons never portrayed a single non-white character. Robots and space aliens were fine, but to offer an Asian or African person seems to have been forbidden by the Hanna-Barbera crew who created this cartoon predicting the future.

I don't want to discuss racist cartoonists. It would take too long.  But I can offer observations that anyone can  explore using "The Google".  I will probably offer a more detailed discussion at the African American Science Fiction website.

The Jetson's world was presented  as a utopia for  American style Western Capitalism. But first, let's steal some common text from Wikipedia:

The utopia and its offshoot, the dystopia, are genres of literature that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal society, or utopia, as the setting for a novel. Dystopian fiction (sometimes referred to as apocalyptic literature) is the opposite: creation of an utterly horrible or degraded society that is generally headed to an irreversible oblivion, or dystopia. Many novels combine both, often as a metaphor for the different directions humanity can take in its choices, ending up with one of two possible futures. 

In AFROCentric speculative fiction, there are  examples of "good world" and "bad world." I will mention just a few, but I welcome comments regarding Black utopias and dystopias especially as protrayed in films such as Pumzi by Wanuri Kahiu.

Octavia Butler gained fame by writing fiction where Black people prospered and suffered in various aspects of an alternative world.  Her "Parable" novels showed us how Black people living in a totally dysfunctional society used their wits and courage to survive and build a new future.

In "Steamfunk",  a derivative of Steampunk,  Black characters dominate and offer visions of  ex-slaves controlling the South of the United States after its Civil War.  Of course, Blacks had to defend against  crazy white people who sought to reclaim lost territory.

Black people were  the global leaders in  Lion's Blood and Zulu Heart by Steven Barnes. In those novels, Africans  colonized the Americas and created a formidable empire.

In the United States of Africa written by Abdourahman A. Waberi the fortunes of the world were reversed. A stream of  white humanity flows from the slums of America and the squalor of Europe, to by seeking entrance into the United States of Africa, a land of opportunity and prosperity.

George S. Schuyler dreamed of a world where white rulers were kicked out of Africa, an utopia for Black people was created and  Europe attacked by Africa in his compilation of serial stories called Black Empire.

Ask yourself,  how do people of African descent envision the future: A)  Utopia where everything is perfect and every elected president is of African descent;  B) Dystopia where evil and poverty reign and the Klan controls the voting boths;  or C) a mashup of both?

Your answer may depend upon the following:

• are you sleeping on the streets or in a car bouncing between homeless shelters -- do you use the Internet at a public library for 10 minutes a session to look for jobs; 
• are you are living in a house you purchased in a middle-class neighborhood that you are struggling maintain and keep creditors at bay --  occasionally you delay a payment on the water or electric bill to buy meds; 
• or do you have mansions at the beach and on mountains as well as downtown condominiums  on different continents and never had a hungry day in your life because you have a personal jet to take you to any restaurant in the world for a private table at lunchtime. 

In fiction, Black writers expand perceptions,  encourage us to consider what type of world we want to live in. Speculative fictions inspires us to build tools and community to better our society by presenting the negative and the positive.

However, here I want to say, we can create the world we live in or want to live in -- some are good,  some are bad. We have the ability to choose.  If we make a bad choice, we must live with the consequences.

 

Why Africa Must Go to the Moon

There are many reasons why the nations of Africa should set aside their religious conflicts,  invite the African Diaspora to return home,  create a common currency and go to the Moon. India just launched a probe to Mars. The Chinese are planning a space station and an effort to put an installation for humans on the Moon. The Western powers are retooling to reach out to the distant moons of Jupiter and Saturn. There is even talk of colonizing Venus and building cloud cities. The Japanese seek to go to Earth's moon and  build a power station to beam electricity back to our planet. International corporations have formed collaborations to go into deep space and capture asteroids that can be mined for metals and minerals as well as precious water valuable for fuel and breathing.

Space agencies exist on every continent except Antarctica. However, if there is a race to the Moon, or any moon, sadly, Africa is sitting on the bleachers in the cheap seats watching other players commit to winning on the playing field. But that could change dramatically, once  Black people are inspired to setting higher goals in today's rapidly evolving global society.

There is an entire solar system within our grasp to explore and exploit (hopefully, there will be no intelligent life that we can abuse). Incredible possibilities exist. But how do we influence subsistence farmers, fishermen, bus drivers, students, housewives, and dictators to focus on the big bright orb that we see almost every night.

We can use science fiction to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds to set their sights on a lofty goal. We need stories. We need movies. We need music and art. An effort to establish a base on the moon would create millions of jobs (or at least thousands). The technologies developed would greatly benefit all people. We are talking more than just making space juice such as Tang. But we have to inspire people to think bigger-- there is more than one moon, there is more than one dream.

This is the breakdown of planets with moons (but subject to change as  humans stretch out into their local solar neighborhood).

Mercury and Venus-0
Earth-1
Mars-2
Jupiter-63
Saturn-60
Uranus-27
Neptune-13

Pluto which has been demoted from full planet status to dwarf planet has five moons. And Pluto sits on the edge of the solar system where billions of bodies possessing the riches of the universe orbit the sun.

Ganymede circling Jupiter is the largest moon in the solar system whereas our Moon is only the fifth largest. Several other moons may have buried under miles of ice, liquid oceans bigger than anything we see on earth.  Some moons are volcanic. Some have huge seas of liquid methane.

So, why should Africa go to the Moon or travel to  any of the moons that this solar system is blessed with?  Resources are the answer. Africa has most of the mineral resources that the space-faring nations are desperate for. However, those resource are finite and more difficult to obtain each year. Also, there are critical environmental concerns. We have to plan for our future. We must not foul our nest. We have to take flight.

Africa must go to the moon, if for nothing else than to improve living conditions that people have today. Building a technology for a grand goal, means having more schools and encouraging people  to invent and play a significant role in the space race. This also means increased incomes, infrastructure development, innovation in food and shelter as well as a commitment to do things more efficiently without endangering our health or ruining our landscapes.

Africa needs to go to the moon to earn its rightful place in the modern world -- graduating from a developing economy and becoming a full partner among the superpowers  (a feat that India, China and Japan have accomplished).

A shout-out has to go to a Black Science Fiction book: Discovery which is the first installment of the Darkside Trilogy by William Hayashi.  The Darkside Universe is a speculative world which tells the tale of what happens in the United Sates of America when the country discovers that African Americans have been secretly living on the backside of the moon since before Neil Armstrong arrived. (Purchase the book at Amazon.)

I haven't read or reviewed it yet, but we need more tales like this to help Africa go to the moon.

Defining the Black Superhero

As more African Americans attend science fiction and comic book conventions, they encounter discussions about race and culture in speculative fiction. This occurs during panel presentations,  banter at hotel bars or  conversation in a crowded elevator. And, often, as people introduce themselves,  sooner or later  the representative black person (which is usually me) will get asked, “What do you do?”

It’s a harmless question that could lead to a good networking opportunity. You never know when you might bump into publishers looking for new talent. Therefore, in such a situation I  respond, “I write African and African American science fiction.” I always expect the silence and wait patiently for the next obvious question.

“What makes a Black superhero different from a white one?”  This is a juicy topic among  attendees  dressed as Teenage Ninja Turtles or Star Wars Storm Troopers or scantily clad warrior princesses.

By habit, I respond depending upon my mood. I have the option to snidely quip that’s how the author wrote the story. But that’s a lame reply and these people paid good money to converse, exchange ideas and to exercise their escapism muscles. If the sobriety and intelligence of the audience is of a certain level, I respond like this: “Afrocentric characters are governed by their origins and their cultural alliances. Typically, a Black super hero or heroine was born or created in Africa or an African community that could be located anywhere in this world or an alternative universe. However, we should always be careful to never assign physical characteristics such as skin color or fashion sense as adequate qualifiers for reasons that I later will explain. If surrounded by an Africa-like setting, the super being initially will demonstrate an allegiance to protect and serve Black people -- an environment they feel most closely associated with, naturally. However, as their purpose and abilities expand, they will eventually deem it important to use their powers to help everyone regardless of race or culture. Let me explain."

“One of my favorite comic book characters is Storm. Storm a.k.a  Ororo Monroe, is blue-eyed with white flowing hair and was born in New York City. But also she is a descendant of an ancient line of African priestesses, all of whom have the potential to wield magic and control the weather as well as fly. As a young girl, Ororo is ignorant of her gifts. She travels to Africa, suffers many tragedies and finds herself  homeless and without parents. Eventually, she survives and crosses the desert to find her ancient homeland. There, she is nurtured and groomed to take full advantage of her powers. She uses her super abilities to protect her village and the continent. As she grows, she takes on the task to protect the entire planet by joining and leading the X-Men.”

I like to keep my momentum, so I usually jump quickly into my next point.

“My most favorite Black speculative fictional character is Doro from Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed and the Pattern Master books. Doro originates in Africa as a demon who can possess bodies, killing the original host. At first, Doro is insane, mindlessly wandering from body to body killing thousands of people. Eventually, he does gain mental control and carefully selects who he kills and who he shelters. By this time, the slave trade is in full swing, and Doro is busy protecting and preparing to move his most cherished people to America, where he feels they will be safer. Physically, Doro can be anybody. Yet, his protects his own people and eventually expands to protect others regardless of their race or culture. Granted, he also feeds on people regardless of race or culture. He is a flawed hero, but he is an AFROcentric super being.  But let me offer my final supposition."

“Consider this:  Does Tarzan qualify as a Black superhero? When he was an infant, he drops into Africa,  his parents die and he is adopted by the African environment.  In Africa, he matures and uses his great strength to fight evil and help the weak. This usually involves beating the snot out of greedy white Europeans who were harassing Africans.  In some stories, Tarzan forms close alliances with the African chiefs  and  becomes a hero to the people. Before you decide also ponder this: what other hero fell from the sky and became completely absorbed and revered  by the native people who took him in? Superman, of course. If you peel back the surface layers, you can see that Superman is not a Caucasian American; he technically is not even human even though he looks like a human. Again, physical appearances can be deceiving. The Man of Steel is an illegal space alien who can lift an aircraft carrier. In fact, in some versions of the Superman myth, he crash lands in  Stalinist Russia where he becomes the people’s champion who fights the decadency of the Western nations.   I wonder what might have happened if the baby Kal-El had landed in 18th Century South Africa and been raised by Emperor Shaka Zulu? But I digress. . ."  At this point, I can allow others to chime in. My primary  point is made.

My brief comments are usually accepted well, but sometimes my statements are like pouring good Jamaican Rum onto a camp fire. However, it is all good intellectual fun and people get excited when there is a controversy to promote.  It is time for me to back out of the conversation and make a exit to my room, allowing the debate to continue without me. There, I can relax, pop open a beer and power-up Netflix. During my spare time,  I like to search for lost episodes of “Astroboy” who happens to be my favorite Asian superhero.

2013 October is Black Speculative Fiction Month!

You should celebrate by supporting a black author, today.  Buy a book and write a review -- be honest. The AFROFuturist movement is growing. It starts with writers but includes artists, filmmakers, musicians, and any creative person who peers into the future. People of color are creating a new destiny combining science fiction with science fact. 

We are changing education which doesn't stop because of age.  It is easier to become a rich and prestigious scientist than an NFL star. Black sci-fi inspires people to do more than throw and catch a ball. This is a life-long process that we continue until the grave.

Black Science Fiction is taking off like a rocket. Sci-fi, Sword & Soul, Steamfunk, Weird Black West  are sexy and intriguing.  We are forced to look deep into our souls. We are all African.  When we dream big, we create fantastic structures. We build faster-than-light spaceships. We can capture and use the energy of galaxies. We can heal humankind. Black spec fiction expands our imaginations and make dreams reality.

For more information go to Black Speculative Fiction Month:

Happy Black Science Fiction Month!