Saturday, February 16, 2019
The AFROFuturist: 30-second Review of NOVA From A Godfather of AFROF...
The AFROFuturist: 30-second Review of NOVA From A Godfather of AFROF...: Some readers say the sci-fi classic Nova by the great Samuel Delany is a daunting task to take on, but I disagree. Yes, it is a multi-l...
Saturday, February 9, 2019
30-second Review of NOVA From A Godfather of AFROFuturism
Some readers say the sci-fi classic Nova by the great Samuel Delany is a daunting task to take on, but I disagree. Yes, it is a multi-layered book that any serious devotee of Afrocentric speculative fiction should embrace. Yes, this is not a fast read nor a weekend project. But the end result will leave you with many thoughts to ponder.
If you don't know Delany (who is still with us), you don't know AFROfuturism.
Friday, February 8, 2019
30-Second Book Review: Black Empire by George Schuyler
In the 1930s, Black people in America were fantasizing about constructing invincible flying warships, promoting hi-tech agriculture to feed millions, stockpiling destructive ray guns, and secretly rallying behind a mad genius who was plotting to take over the world using advanced science and superior intellect. This Black mastermind who wove devious webs of intrigue interlaced with murder and mystery is what conservative writer George Schuyler offered to readers in a weekly newspaper serial. He considered his stories "hokum" and merely parodies of the back-to-Africa movement, but his themes were early AFROFuturism at its best. Melodramatic danger, dark romance, week-to-week cliff-hangers, surprise turnabouts, and hard-won bloody victories make Schuyler's Black Empire (a combination of his published short stories) a treasure chest of Afrocentric speculative fiction.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
30-Second Book Review: Octavia Butler's Wild Seed
Wild Seed is one of my favorite books which happens to be authored by Octavia Butler. I recently re-read it and was thoroughly knocked over but the depth of her writing, again. In my opinion, this story is much stronger than "Black Panther" that in its own right is a great movie. However, it seems that modern Hollywood producers prefers comic book heroes over more realistic depictions of how powerful Black people could survive and prosper on this planet. Wild Seed is based on many historical facts and not just a fictional hi-tech kingdom ruled by a Black king. (Yet, I will always embrace Wakanda.)
For this Black History Month in 2019, we should take another look at many of the Black Speculative Fiction Classics available to us. Start with Wild Seed.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Friday, November 23, 2018
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Bio-Engineering Our Future
Scientists predict that in a few decades, we may be able to select from a "catalogue" what our babies will be like before they are born. We could choose ethnic facial features; adult height and body shape; intelligence; which diseases they will be resistant to and much more.
What could go wrong? A lot. We could biologically design ourselves into extinction.
First of all, consider that parents may want their off-spring to be tall, slender, athletic, and cheery (blonde?). But that common portrait of the optimum human-type as promoted by popular media may not be conducive in changing environmental conditions.
Darker skin allows livability in extreme sunlight. Smaller, more compact body designs require less food during famine. The list goes on.
Genetic variation allows selected creatures to walk through the gauntlet of daily life. Dangers that hinders one individual, another individual could dodge and escape to continue the bloodline. Thus, when you roll the genetic dice, it may be best to resist the urge to tilt the table; instead, trust random mutations for filling the gene pools with many varying characteristics.
Surrender our embryos to natural selection (within limits, of course). Embrace each child's strengths and weaknesses when they emerge.
By choosing what are considered to be positive traits today, could doom the human species by limiting our adaptability to unforeseen conditions -- like drastically rising sea levels or an accidental virus that targets tall, athletic people.
Having webbed feet, a short statue and gills to breath submerged under seawater may be drastically more important than the prowess to deliver a backhand in tennis. Or dribble a basketball.
From a biological standpoint, diversity is an essential condition for the survival of humanity.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
22nd Century Urban Landscape
Ridiculous wealth built on the backs of people foraging for scraps of garbage. Is this dystopia? Or only "Things to Come."
What is the future of our communities? Every major urban center on our speck of rock and oceans orbiting a middle-aged star is expanding and has both affluent and struggling components. Populations are diverse yet increasingly more segregated -- but not only by race. The poor hate and envy the rich. The rich ridicule the poor who never inherited money or were not blessed by rare opportunities to accumulate wealth; yet, it is the poor and disenfranchised who provide vital assets: muscle, innovation, culture, inspiration, as well as livability of the spaces inhabited by all people.You would be surprised at what human ingenuity in desperation conditions can achieve. The Egyptian Pyramids were not built just by Pharaohs; working class people constructed magnificent monuments with the guidance of a few brilliant minds wishing to celebrate their society and strengthen their beliefs as well as feed their families.
It is ridiculous to exclaim that all wealthy people are grotesque parasites who suck out the essence of human activities simply for greed and the need to add more splendors into a few personal collections.
Yet, all great civilizations will face their doom unless a workable compromise can be achieved.
Friday, July 13, 2018
Open USA Borders for Brown People
Migration: A Human Right
Heartless military-style community policing, ridiculous barricading of natural geography, weaponizing borders has become acceptable in Trump's 21st Century Dystopia American Nightmare. This is a dire result of our idiotic and cowardly political landscape that encourages a madman to rule the country.
Some aspects of AFROFuturism suggest that we should abandon culturally biased hate to restrict human movement and interaction.
We should progress to a properly administered, humane immigration policy. This would be healthy and increase prosperity for newcomers and existing residents. Routes of free and unhindered migration should be established and protected.
There is nothing wrong having an (monitored) open border with friendly countries.
Other continental regions around the world are embracing free transfer of people. The African Union, the European Union, and other places are easing the pathways for individuals to work, gain citizenship and prosper in places where they were NOT born. There is no logical or ethical reason to stop populations of people improving their lives as well as enhancing the economy of several nations by moving from one place to another.
Political tyrants for their own personal gains (or insanity) demand the control of people. In fairness to the current system, there currently are open borders: for white people. Brown people need not apply.
This is the challenge for AFROFuturists: expose the hypocrisies and build worlds that equally embrace all people via books, music, and art.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Meet the Teeth of AFROFuturism
AFROFuturism roars and is prominent in the Black Panther movie that has dumped huge buckets of green on Marvel Comics and the Mouse.
But what benefits go to Black communities around the world who celebrate this movie? What do we really gain?
Better Stories
Growth is essential to a good story. T'Challa is a very different and more enligtened person by the end of the movie. Thus, we need writers who genuinely understand the Black experience to make screenplays palatable to moviegoers. Old stereotypes will fade, hopefully. A new generation of creators from all cultures will gain ground with new ideas.More People of Color will be Earning Paychecks in Hollywood
Movie producers, writers, and directors will require black super villains and heroes to dance on the big screen to entertain us. This will sell tickets, overpriced popcorn, and fruit-colored sugar water. Also, the technicians, artists, musicians, caterers and thousands of other support staff can take advantage of a flood of films whose AFROCentric stars will open opportunities for others to get a piece of the pie.
Inspiration
AFROFuturism can encourage all of us regardless of skin color, religion, social status, etc., to create a better future. Because, at the root, we are all African. Thus, Black Panther is a representation of all of us.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Nat Turner's Secret
(Excerpt from Stafford Battle's Book New African Fables for Adults on Amazon . . . )
Nat Turner's Secret
. . . . I scanned his aura, he was truly Black Mage,
the legendary practitioner of the African mystic arts. His thick, wooly beard
was salt-pepper gray. His perfectly manicured Afro was jet black; his hair
framed his face like a majestic royal crown -- at least once a week he groomed
his fro with a minor incantation to keep a perfect oval shape and bright sheen.
He wore a pinstriped business suit, pink shirt accompanied with brown gator-skin
shoes. In his right hand was a polished
oak walking cane.
Obviously aware of my mental scans
that he could have easily blocked, he said aloud, "There is always a shotgun
house involved in the swamp. Front door/back door. One window. Two rooms. No indoor plumbing. Piss in the bushes. Squat behind a tree. A green candle always
burns in the center of the front room. Watchers are everywhere. Some good, some
evil. Send your soul to hell or to New Jersey, just for fun." He chuckled.
"Before we go into battle, tell me more about yourself."
"As you know, I am an orphan. But you would not call
me ordinary," I said. "My first Nubian guardians recorded me into the
digital annuals as a young, slender woman named Abebe. That observation was
only half right. For a few days each month, I am female with the ability to conceive
daughters; I can deliver a baby in the appropriate time span, if I chose such a
lengthy burden. Some months, I am a functioning male for a day or two, able to
sire sons. My appearance hints that I am approaching 30 years of age despite the fact
that I have lived as an adult nearly twice that long -- or longer, I am not
sure. Most of the time, I am just a neutral.
I am a damn good fighter when I am neutral. No emotions. But my conjuring is
more devastating as a female. The few moments when I had been involved in
a firefight as a male are only a blur in my mind. I don’t remember much – just the shocked
expressions of my teachers as they crawled out from underneath the rubble that
I had caused. Buildings had been toppled. Steel girdles bent. Stone crushed. Some conjurors described my gender
transformations as apocalyptic. I may be the only person in
this universe with such abilities."
Mage my mentor paused to take a deep
breath. " I will need your special talents. I wagered with a Hell demon that I could save
the life of Nathaniel ‘Nat’
Turner."
I frowned and said, “Turner’s
deceased -- been stone cold dead for more than a long time.” Few normals knew, that Turner was a skilled
practitioner when he initiated his slave revolt. I was told that Nat Turner was
a hothead, untrustworthy. He willfully disobeyed recommendations from the joint
council. Nat with his band of freedom fighters murdered a lot of white folks along
with some Blacks who hesistated to join him. The white citizens of Virginia caught, then hanged him. Hundreds
of innocent Blacks were accused wrongly then hung as a result of Turner's actions.
Mage said, "Nat is still alive
-- sort of. Chained. We will free him. He’s probably anxious to continue his
mission.” Mage was broad shouldered, handsome, supremely confident. Again, I
remembered online rumors that he had a large harem of women who willingly gave
everything they owned to him. My spine prickled. He said, "Demons always cheat
when they proposition you. I used such chicanery to my own advantage."
He zapped an annoying mosquito with
his cane. The energy blast gouged the trunk of a large evergreen tree draped
with choking vines. Smoldering ash flakes filled the clearing but luckily there
was no bonfire to alert the enemy. The smoke chased away the insect hordes. Mage
scratched his beard. He asked, “Are you
male or female, today?”
I stopped. I took off my extra-large,
red, black and green "Vote Obama" hoodie. I hated bras. I never wore
them. Then I pull down and removed my silk gym shorts. I tossed my red-striped,
Tuesday panties at Mage. He easily caught the token with his walking stick. I
stretched to let him get a full view of my present body. His probing eyes made
me tingle. His thoughts made me a little horny. The warm moist wind felt good
on my trim stomach, shapely thighs, full, succulent buttocks. This was the way
people were meant to live; not hiding behind furs or leather or cotton or
needless bling. My power necklace combined with wrist bands were the only adornment
I needed. Being nude also circumvented a lot of irritating questions about my
unusual gender changes. In the fading sunlight, my naked brown skin became a beautiful
shade of rare gold.
Mage stared. His open mouth formed a
silent “ohhh”. His eyebrows arched. After
a moment, he said, “I will rely on your remarkable conjure strength as a woman.
Put your clothes back on. I’m not as saintly as I appear.” He handed my colorful
undies to me then turned abruptly away to resume his pace. . . .
(Get the full story on Amazon: New African Fables for Adults. Honest reviews are welcome.)
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