AFROFuturism is Not Alone!

There are many aspects of Futurism that are intriguing and interesting. The first Futurist was probably (according to some archaeological research) a wandering, naked, dark-skinned humanoid in Africa who hoisted a jagged rock in one hand and dragged a heavy, thorny tree branch in the other hand to defend tribal offspring from a snarling, furry monster stalking in the tall grass. The hurled projectile smacked the hungry feline directly in the jaw. The beast howled in red, bloody rage. Simultaneous spear stabbing and the future of prey versus predator was altered, once again. This was supposed to be a leisurely brunch, like most meals over the many rotations of the bright orb shining overhead.

The Earth Goddess Gaia smiled, frowned, and sighed.

So, today, amidst our gleaming cities and crowded skyways, we ponder, “What exactly is Futurism?”

There are many factions of Futurism throughout the modern world. Expectations and goals are similar (yet there are always unpredictable variations). Social Evolution. Altering states of reality. The oppressed overpowering the oppressors. Honoring honest history. Forging a future. Stomping and shouting to the sounds of syncopation of senses.

These are some of the faces of Futurism. Select or create your own.

Italian Futurism

• Origin: Early 20th-century Italy (founded by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in 1909).

• Definition: An avant-garde art and social movement that celebrated the “beauty of speed,” technology, youth, violence, and industry. It sought to destroy the past (museums, libraries) to modernize Italy.

• Key Characteristics: Fascination with cars, airplanes, and industrial cities; often aligned with fascism and misogyny; rejection of tradition.

• How It Differs: Unlike other “Futurisms”, this was considered to be a movement of power and aggression from within Europe, rather than a movement of resistance or decolonization. This belief may have been one of the causes of the destructive World Wars that decimated Europe.

• Website: https://smarthistory.org/italian-futurism-an-introduction/

Afrofuturism

• Origin: Coined by cultural critic Mark Dery in 1993 (Black to the Future), however, the theme existed earlier (e.g., Sun Ra, Octavia Butler, George Schuyler, Pauline Hopkins, and others).

• Definition: A cultural philosophy that explores the intersection of African diaspora culture with technology. It combines science fiction, history, and fantasy to address topics of subjugation and Afrocentric futures.

• Key Focus: The experience of the African Diaspora (specifically in the West/Americas). It often uses the metaphor of the “alien” to describe the experience of slavery and abduction.

• Example: Marvel’s Black Panther (specifically the movie’s mix of tech and Oakland roots), the music of Janelle Monáe.

• Website: http://www.afrocyberspace.org

Africanfuturism

• Origin: Coined by Nigerian-American author Nnedi Okorafor (approx. 2019) to distinguish her work from Afrofuturism.

• Definition: A sub-category of science fiction directly rooted in African culture, history, mythology, and point-of-view. It is centered on the continent of Africa rather than the diaspora in the West.

• Key Distinction: Okorafor famously explained: “Afrofuturism: Wakanda builds its first outpost in Oakland, CA. Africanfuturism: Wakanda builds its first outpost in a neighboring African country.”

• Goal: To center African narratives without the “white gaze” or the necessity of engaging with Western racial dynamics as the primary conflict.

• Website: https://www.geeska.com/en/what-africanfuturism

Indigenous Futurism

• Definition: Coined by Dr. Grace Dillon (Anishinaabe) to describe art and literature that expresses Indigenous perspectives of the future, past, and present.

• Theme: It challenges the “vanishing native American Indian” trope. Instead of being victims of colonization, Indigenous people are survivors of an apocalypse who use traditional knowledge alongside technology to ensure their future survival.

• Website: https://www.theambony.com/society/indigenous-futurism-beyond-the-marginsa-cultural-movement-defining-whats-next

Sinofuturism

• Definition: A concept (popularized by artist Lawrence Lek) that proposes China is the future, specifically a form of Artificial Intelligence.

• Theme: It embraces stereotypes about Chinese society (copying, gaming, computing, labor, collective consciousness) not as negatives, but as traits of a superior, post-human survival strategy.

• Website: https://tripleampersand.org/arriving-future-sinofuturism-post-human-philosophy-nick-land-yuk-hui/

Gulf Futurism

• Definition: Coined by Sophia Al-Maria and Fatima Al Qadiri. It refers to the aesthetic of the Arab Gulf states (Dubai, Qatar).

• Theme: A critique of hyper-capitalism, oil wealth, and consumerism. It often depicts a dystopian mix of religious conservatism, screen culture, and shopping malls—a “desert of the real” where history is erased by glass and steel.

• Contrast: Distinct from Arabfuturism, which is a broader, more optimistic movement (often linked to Palestinian narratives) focused on decolonizing history and imagining political agency.

• Website: https://sailemagazine.com/2021/12/gulf-futurism-the-future-is-not-a-desert-mirage/

Chicanafuturism

• Definition: Coined by Catherine S. Ramírez. It explores the nexus of race, gender, and technology from a Mexican-American (Chicana) female perspective.

• Theme: It blends indigenous “mestiza” history with sci-fi to challenge colonial and patriarchal narratives, often using the figure of the “cyborg” to represent the hybrid nature of Chicana identity.

• Website: https://catherinesramirez.com/research/chicanafuturism/

Amazigh Futurism

• Definition: A movement rooted in North African Amazigh (Berber) culture.

• Theme: It reclaims Indigenous North African identity from Arab-centric narratives, projecting Amazigh language, symbols, and cosmology into a technological future.

• Website: https://www.dazed.me/dazed-mena-100/elias-riadi-a-visionary-of-amazigh-futurism

sBattleFuturism

• Origin: In development by Stafford L Battle, one of the original Black Geeks and co-author of the African American Resource Guide to the Internet (McGraw-Hill 1996).

• Proposal: Encourage a unity of the best aspects of “Futurism” to enforce the human right to proper nourishment, shelter, education, and well-being for everyone, regardless of their situation or beliefs. Denounce the greed of the current economic and political systems. Expose the rituals of the ruling elite.

• Key Focus: Use speculative literature as a guide for enlightenment and engagement.

• Website: http://www.staffordbattle.org

We no longer wander barefoot through wild savannas, avoiding ferocious beasts (unless we are on a guided safari, wearing sturdy hiking boots). We have awesome weapons and defenses to protect our family and friends. Yet we are Futurists, similar to ancient humans foraging in Africa. We have to choose which future we want to live in. The predators we have today are just as dangerous as the ones our ancestors faced. Grab a stone and smash the oligarchy. Gaia will guide us.

Thank you for reading. Your opinions are welcome. Your thoughts inspire me.

sbattle@sbattle.com

Note: This narrative used Wikipedia and AI-generated resources.

The Reason Young People Are Quietly Leaving Church!

Jon on ICE's Killing of Renee Good and Trump's Model of Compliance for P...

It's Time for a Moratorium on Data Centers | Sen. Bernie Sanders

Why Africa Must Go to the Moon And then aim for the Stars

 

Space agencies exist on every continent except Antarctica. While African nations have successfully launched satellites for agriculture and communication, regarding the race to the Moon, the continent is still sitting on the bleachers. This must change. Once leadership is inspired to set higher goals, the possibilities are endless. 

 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 set 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 and the definition of moon is modified). 

Mercury and Venus-0 

Earth-1 

Mars-2 Jupiter-95 

Saturn-146 

Uranus-28 

Neptune-16 

Pluto, which has been demoted from full planet status to a 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 our solar system, whereas our Moon is only the fifth largest. Several other moons may be buried under miles of ice, with 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 our Moon or travel to any of the moons that this solar system is blessed with? Resources are the answer. Africa has the most mineral resources that the space-faring nations are desperate for. However, those resources 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). Africa's space sector has evolved rapidly from a collection of isolated national projects into a coordinated continental ecosystem. As of late 2025, the landscape is defined by the operationalization of the pan-African African Space Agency (AfSA) and the maturation of several national agencies. 

The overarching goal for the continent, driven by the African Union's Agenda 2063, is to use space science and technology not just for exploration, but as a critical tool for socio-economic development—specifically in agriculture, disaster management, connectivity, and resource monitoring. 

Africa must go to the Moon, if for nothing else than to improve living conditions on Earth. Building the technology for such a grand goal creates jobs, demands better schools, and encourages people to believe that the sky is no longer the limit. 

This is AFROFuturism in action!

Revival: Alien Holiday—The Legacy of Martin R Delany in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

 

“On a Friday morning, Earth-time, I stepped out of a magical, faster-than-light space Pod onto a faraway world named Revival and immediately regretted almost all my life choices. I hadn’t read the fine print carefully.” 

Udo faced a dangerous decision. Should he ease back into the Pod and return to Earth or step forward and continue with his mission in this bizarre environment? Heroism in AFROFuturism is widespread. Men, women, and children have sacrificed their lives for their families, friends, and their beliefs throughout the centuries. An excellent example is Dr. Martin Robison Delany.  A Black American who was born free in 1812, decades before the United States Civil War, in which he served as a decorated officer of the Union Army. His accolades are numerous. His valor was phenomenal. His intelligence was supreme. He overcame tremendous obstacles during his long life.

As we look to the future, the heritage of heroes like Dr. Martin Delany reveals a rulebook for resistance and resilience. Imagine, then, his indomitable spirit reborn in a society in the distant things to come, where humankind has stumbled upon nearly instantaneous faster-than-light travel created by an ancient civilization. New planets are discovered.  New conquests. New colonies. New species to enslave. Monsters to kill. Earth is running out of resources and livable spaces. People are desperate to survive.

Udo, following the path of Delany, has a mission to prevent the evils of the past from infecting his future. It is not easy. Tech has vastly improved. The merging of flesh and AI in the form of augmentations to the human body offers frightening capabilities, some of which he can’t completely control.

And of course, there are numerous space aliens in habitable zones. Some of their behaviors included repairing dire wounds and possessing near-immortality, as well as mind control over other sentients. The Earth Evil Empire has its minions in place to torture and bully to gain profits and steal resources, regardless of the destruction by any means necessary.

So, Udo takes an interstellar trip and discovers the aliens are not what they appear to be. Who is the colonizer and who is the enslaved?

This is an alien holiday that he will never forget if he survives.  Discover more in the e-book at: http://www.afrocyberspace.org

Spike Lee Urges Black Americans to Claim Free African Citizenship as Tru...

Trump RAGES As Jimmy Kimmel Breaks Ratings Records

Neil deGrasse Tyson’s BRUTAL Truth About Christianity

Jimmy Kimmel is Back!

American African: What's In a Name?

The following is a short video I created to explore who we are. Let me know what you think.

sbattle@sbattle.com