Great Fiction is driven by forces of extreme evil -- individuals and organizations willing to reject existing circumstances and use maleficence for unconventional goals. In popular fiction, these are the bad guys. Sherlock Holmes has his deadly nemesis, Professor Moriarty, who sought world dominance. But villainy is more than the Batman against the Joker or Superman vs. Lex Luthor and other similar overworked themes.
Villains can have fearsome power; they have the ability to change the narrative and build a future based on their whims. This is a task not for the weak.
In AFROFuturism, we need literary villains to reek dire havoc on society and make it responsive to the needs of people of color; because on occasion, the faces of Black villains become interchangeable with champions who can alter our day-to-day lives and offer freedom. Thus, they bring awesome weapons to the arena.
Tell your local Black writers to give us more bad guys of African descent. Only they can save us from the greater evils that we face in our novels and reality. Sometimes, you need evil to fight evil for the good of all us. Villains, at least for a period of time, can be the winners.
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