1st Black Sci-Fi Movie Is a Winner

What was the first science fiction movie featuring an all Black cast?  Was it a success? How talented were the filmmaker and actors working on a very low-budget film before 4-color cinematography was perfected?

The special effects may seem awful; an actor in a rubbery monster costume. No CGI. No 3-D. Music from wax disks decoded by a steel needle.

Why did the Black characters sing and dance, while unaware of the approaching African monster who had been set loose on American soil?  Did "Feets git moving" fulfill popular expectations?

Don't worry. "Race" movies had a purposeful place in America's diverse social fabric. It was a necessity that created opportunities to build a stronger, more reasonable society.

This relatively unknown, yet very important 1940s speculative fiction film probably was never shown in segregated movie theaters that were located down south, up north and way west. Possibly, its exposure in the few venues available did inspire people to believe in cultural heroism and a new society to come.  Civil Rights. Black Power. Equal Economic Opportunities. The Presidency.

It is a fairly predictable sci-fi flick. Boy marries girl. Hideous monster kidnaps girl. Boy overcomes monster and rescues his sweetheart. Yet, probing deeper, you see more when you open your eyes.

A Black man faces extreme economic disadvantages in a world set against him.  Despite the odds, he saves his woman from poverty and offers her a good life. Of course, the opposite could have happened at any moment -- the woman could have created economic prosperity, or both woman and man could have been eaten by a savage monster called America.

That is why tickets and popcorn and large sodas were sold to crowds of people on Saturday afternoons.  We saw our personal demons on the big screen; fought them and hopefully won -- that emotional energy carried over into our day-to-day lives. We became heroes. We were given dreams.

'Nuff said.  Watch.  (Thanks go to Wikipedia and YouTube)

A Letter to My Great, Great, Great Grand Kids

Dear Great, Great, Great Grand Kids:

I suspect that more than likely in your world, letter writing and reading flimsy paper documents may be considered old-fashioned and painfully slow (I’m guessing that you are using digital mind transmissions or some other interplanetary techno-magic to communicate with one another) but I hope you’ll take a moment to put away your quantum nano-computers to cherish the feel of real paper this letter was written on. 

Please allow these carefully typed words to pass leisurely at a mere mortal’s pace.

Sometimes, the young take lightly when forced to listen to elders who drift back on the outgoing tide of ancient history; but the ocean flows in both directions. In order to have a more perfect future and a tolerable present, we may need to understand the wisdom and eccentricities as well as self-sacrifice and vicious gluttony of our ancestors.

Thus, these are some of my observations.

The human animal will always be clannish and slow to accept members from a different tribe of

thought. The war between men and women may expand to include newly recognized genders; but regardless of the battle lines, the species will never stop procreation. How we worship and pray has seen many transformations; if you still believe in God, then you know there is only one God who chooses to appear in different forms to different people but offering the same message: it is not the text of the holy book that matters but the actions of the believers that is most significant. If we don’t help one another, then we all suffer. The notion that only one special group or culture or human race has the singular connection to the Almighty is most assuredly false.

In fact, the whole notion of human “races” should be totally obsolete and frowned upon as a completely useless definition of the human animal. You can not define a person by their skin, hair, eyes, or speech. There are no human races; there is no African, no Oriental, no Caucasian; there is only humanity. Yet, even though we should never define ourselves using out-of-date racial terminology, “racism” does exist. Racism is the outcome whenever one group seeks to exploit or harm another group.

It makes no sense to hurt each other. We are all one kind. We must coexist intimately or die out completely as a biological species.

We also must coexist with the earth. The air we breath, water we drink, and food we consume are all part of a sacred chain of survival. People, as well as animals and plants all belong to each other and to the planet and the universe that spawned us. Yes, we are children of the universe. The atoms of your body or from a mountain were both created in a Supernova explosion that occurred billions of years ago in a distant part of our galaxy. The atoms and molecules and biological manifestations of everything we call life are constantly in motion and change.

In your history books, you may come across an historical reference to the Internet/World Wide Web. This electronic network was the first tool of its kind to allow humans to take the crucial step to break through barriers that have caused human strife for centuries and to change for the better our existence. Digital communications -- especially what we called “virtual worlds” -- helped coalesce the various factions of humanity into a linked global village. There was once a real threat of a digital divide to further separate affluent populations from poor ones, educated individuals from the intellectually naive, old and young. But as the rampant and profit-driven commercialism as well as crass materialism slowed and more socially conscious net innovators emerged offering free transfer of knowledge, the net became an essential key to greater prosperity for larger segments of the human society.

Most important, we saw the beginning of the end of global warfare. No more war. Thanks to your parents (my generation’s offspring), large scale weapons manufacturing was banned totally. Even the so-called secret factories were exposed and dismantled by people who believed that no human should ever kill another for purely monetary gains or land grabs or water rights.

There has been tremendous technological, social, and political advances during the period between my generation to yours. I know there is still a lot to do to help all of humanity and earth kind to survive. I firmly believe that you will continue to build on the successes of your forebears. Good luck and remember to occasionally take a look at the history books and family genealogy databases to reaffirm our evolution as a society and celebrate the foresight of your elders.

Best Wishes,

Great, Great, Grand Dad

Stafford Levon Battle

December 8, 2008

(Letter to Grand Kids first appeared in How We Love: Letters and Lessons for the Next Generation edited by Karyn Langhorne Folan, Wendy Coakley-Thomspon, and Tamara E. Bowie. Capital Bookfest, 2008)

Educating with Science Fiction

What if . . . teachers used science fiction to describe the universe.

Just when I thought I had found the last web page of the Internet, I discovered an interesting and informative site. It offers resources for teachers to encourage their students to explore science using sci-fi books and movies.

Science Fiction can play a very important  role in education -- not just in early education (k-12) but also lifelong. There is growing friction between science fact and science denial. Setting aside the frustrations of convincing irrational skeptics of climate change, there is a dangerous block of leaders who would gladly burn all books except the Bible.

My suggestion is to not waste time with people who bury their heads in the sand for profit or sheer stubbornness; use entertainment to encourage the curious to explore science and become better educated. The debate with "science" deniers is over.

There are many good sites that offers information about using speculative fiction to teach science. Start with: http://www.scoop.it/t/using-science-fiction-to-teach-science

Also have a little fun with The Physics of Star Trek written by Lawrence M. Krauss.  Re-discover the fantastic sci-fi devices that we now use daily. 

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!

Architects of AFROFuturism: An Online Course

AFROFuturism Can Change Your World, Today!

We can experience AFROFuturism in literature, graphics arts, animation, film, dance and music. It is a vision of the future where people of color play an important role for the survival of humanity.

AFROFuturism is more than speculative fiction. We read stories about the fantastic not only painted in the distant future of star ships and galactic civilizations; there are also heroic tales from our histories as civilization began in African or industrialization and steam power gave rise to urban societies. Sword and Soul, Steamfunk and AFRO Sci-Fi are just a few of the emerging genres that embace AFROFuturism.

Many historians believe that both modern fiction and the Industrial Revolution began in the mid 19th Century. The first AFROFuturists were writing at that time.  Overall  literacy was on the rise (especially among the Black communities who had a desperate thirst for reading skills), and technology allowed the mass production of printed materials in the form of pamphlets, newspapers, magazines and books.

During the time of the Civil War, Black people were writing speculative fiction. Martin R. Delany, a physician, black nationalist,  army officer, journalist, radical and courtroom  judge wrote speculative fiction. In his novel Blake or the Huts of America, Delany envisioned a world where one Black man started a revolution.

What happened then is happening now. Today, we have new scientific wonders such as the internet and colonization of the Moon and Mars. Workers are challenging the global corporate system and its ties to politicians.Writers are offering instructional fiction to make us more aware and prepared to challenge, survive and even prosper in the "new" future.

For those of us who enjoy reading or hope to profit from  writing speculative fiction with an Afrocentric  flavor, an online course called: Architects of AFROFuturism will be available soon. We will closely examine five Architects of AFROFuturism.

Enrollment will be limited. Don't hesitate join us.

If this is your first online course, you are in for a treat. Your commitment is only  8  to 12 hours each week; most of your efforts will be reading and writing brief essays of 400 words or less. You are required to interact with other students who may reside anywhere in the world.  The course is designed to be inspirational as well as enlightening and educational. Quizzes are short. Your final grade will include scores on assessments, timely submission of written assignments, and participation in discussion.

A Certificate of Completion will be issued to those who satisfy the requirements of the course.

When you complete this course you will be better able to:

• Compare the American protest movements of the 19th Century Progressive Era with the worldwide 21st Century Occupy Wall Street actions
• Examine how new technology can radically change a society
• Analyze the rise and fall of a powerful leader whose blind ambition results in the destruction of his own people
• Explain the  benefits and flaws of Blacks going back to Africa or staying in America
• Understand how a clandestine revolution can overthrow a racist and corrupt political system

For more information, send me an email at sbattle@sbattle.com .