Afro-Centered Futurisms: A vibrant and approachable book by award-winning authors of black speculative fiction
an essay by Eugen Bacon

 

It started with a read: Literary Afrofuturism in the Twenty-First Century by Isiah Lavender III and Lisa Yaszek (eds), published by Ohio State University Press. I put down this book and contemplated it. Then I wrote an Aurealis review in which I spoke of its strengths: 

The jacket on this hardcover scholarly artefact speaks buoyantly to the essays that imagine the future in color. Charted in parts, the anthology of erudite essays opens with an insightful introduction by editors Isiah Lavender III and Lisa Yaszek in an ardent call to arms for black people: a fiery wake-up summons to reboot black identity, confront white supremacy and conjure a range of diverse futures for black people in vivacious hues. 

 

And spoke of that which now drove me to reflect on another book I was yet to start, one that was a response to the paucity I had noted: 

Broad in its coverage, there’s a lingering sense of lacking in this volume—somewhat missing is the inherent ‘African voice’ of authors with a lived experience of Africa, and who intimately understand the continent and its traditions. Authors like Nuzo Onoh, Cheryl S. Ntumy, Dilman Dila, Tlotlo Tsamaase, Dila Dilman, Makene Onjerika, Shingai Njeri Kagunda, Wole Talabi, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, and more, are conspicuously absent. Yet they are intrinsic participants to this important conversation on the rise of black speculative fiction that explores diversity and social (in)justice, that charts poignant stories with black hero/ines who remake their worlds in a color zone of their own deep-rooted blood and bodily image. 

 

And I closed the summation with its merits: 

What Literary Afrofuturism in the Twenty-First Century boldly achieves is to bring the Afro diaspora to life for new readers in a range of futurisms. It’s a valuable book in critical thinking on stories that interrogate, muse on and enliven culture, technology and black history, narratives that push genre boundaries and help resurrect ‘lost’ or lesser-known artists while announcing new ones—mapping connections that increase the rise and visibility of new Pan-African literary speculative fiction. 

 

Now came my personal call to action. I reached out to targeted African writers with lived experience on the continent, and invited them to a new book whose pitch I had already submitted to Bloomsbury. The responses affirmed that I had not imagined the need for an African-voiced book on futurisms: 

“It is so wonderfully timely. You won’t believe it, but I’ve been thinking along these lines in the last year.”   

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“That definitely sounds like a project I’d be interested in.” 

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“Looks interesting indeed.”   

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“This is super exciting!”   

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“Wow, this sounds like an amazing project! Thank you for thinking of me. I would love to be part of it.”  

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“…this initiative sounds great!”   

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“Absolutely awesome!!!”   

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“Omg Eugen! 

This sounds incredible and I would love to be part of it!”   

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“Yes!”

 

You get the gist. 

What my inaugural project offered that those other books didn’t was simply: 

1. An approachable scholarly text that engages with difference, and introduces new and existing readers of Afrocentric fiction to its potential in the reflection of black writing
2. A voice to African writers lacking in crucial conversations on Afrofuturism and African-centered futurisms
3. A unique African perspective from those with lived experience from the continent in the application of technology, the irreal, black horror and surrealism in futuristic text
4. An approachable book that negotiates genre bending and black speculative fiction, helping general readers develop a critical awareness of Afrofuturistic writing
5. A creative and imaginative approach, with excerpts, that contextualizes Afro-centered futurisms from the perspective of award-winning African writers.

Each authorly chapter delves into each author’s understanding/misunderstanding of Afrofuturism, and—with exemplars—how they interrogate Afro-centered futurism in their award-winning fiction. 

It was vital to contextualize this timely book in my preface:

Upon reading each chapter, it’s imperative for the reader to recognize the importance of naming in the African culture. It is this very importance that informs each chapter’s approach, each author’s positioning relative to identity and definitions (aka naming). 

The intent of this book is not to settle on an all-inclusive term that foregrounds the relationship between the continent and its diasporas. As Xan van Rooyen and I reiterate in our chapters, Africa is not a country… 

Homogeneity is not an option. 

There’s no overall voice that’s a guide map. But we can co-exist, be one peoples—evidencing itself in the authorial, cultural identity and narratological diversity herein.    

The structure of this book allows distinct authors to reconnoiter how they autoethnographically situate Africa in their writings, how—through storytelling and narratology—they embrace or interrogate their cultural identities, mis/identities, and multiplicities. 

While Bloomsbury Academic may not be on the money, this publisher knows the true value of representation, and welcomed this crucial book to its Black Literary and Cultural Expressions (BLACE) series. Big thanks to Amy Martin, Acquisitions Editor, Literary Studies, Bloomsbury Academic—whose enthusiastic belief in this project gave it support in getting it approved by the Bloomsbury Board. To series editors Toyin Falola  and Abimbola Adelakun, Black Literary and Cultural Expressions (BLACE)—who were open to this pioneering book, and gave a staggering endorsement to the Bloomsbury Publishing Board of Directors for approval: “In an era characterized by the growing appreciation for diverse viewpoints, it is imperative to guarantee the inclusion and representation of all voices within the realm of literature.” 

Bravo to the contributing authors—Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga, Cheryl S. Ntumy, Dilman Dila, Eugen Bacon, Nerine Dorman, Nuzo Onoh, Shingai Njeri Kagunda, Stephen Embleton, Suyi Okungbowa (the introduction), Tobi Ogundiran and Xan van Rooyen—for their boldly hybrid chapters (both creative and scholarly) that interface Afrocentric artefacts and exegesis.

The critics are weighing in and, so far, the tone is upbeat and animated. Now the ball, dear reader, is in your court. With a contents list like this, what’s not to like about Afro-Centered Futurisms in Our Speculative Fiction? 

 

Table of Contents

Preface
The Structure of This Book
1. Suyi Okungbowa: Afrocentric Futurisms – The Case for an Inclusive Expression, Nigeria/Canada
2. Stephen Embleton: Cosmologies and Languages Building Africanfuturism, South Africa/UK
3. Eugen Bacon: An Afrofuturistic Dystopia and the Afro-irreal, Tanzania/Australia
4. Nuzo Onoh: The Power of African Spirituality in Africanfuturism, Nigeria/UK
5. Shingai Njeri Kagunda: Black Futurisms Vs. Systems of Domination, Kenya
6. Cheryl S. Ntumy: Faith and Fantasy – Afrofuturist and Africanfuturist Spirituality, Ghana
7. Xan van Rooyen: Queer Imaginings in Africanfuturism Inspired by African History, South Africa/Finland
8. Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga: Afrofuturism and Exploring Cultural Identity as a Process of Becoming, Rwanda/Australia
9. Tobi Ogundiran: Fabulist Imaginings in Tales of the Dark and Fantastic, Nigeria/USA
10. Dilman Dila: A Vision for Direct Democracy in Yat Madit, Uganda
11. Nerine Dorman: A Gaze at Post-Colonial Themes That Re-Envision Africa, South Africa
12. Denouement: Autoethnography – The Self-As-Research, Eugen Bacon, Tanzania/Australia
Acknowledgements
Index

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Eugen Bacon is an African Australian author. She’s a British Fantasy and Foreword Indies Award winner, a twice World Fantasy Award finalist, and a finalist in other awards, including the Shirley Jackson, Philip K. Dick Award, as well as the Nommo Awards for speculative fiction by Africans. Eugen was announced in the honor list of the Otherwise Fellowships for ‘doing exciting work in gender and speculative fiction’. Danged Black Thing made the Otherwise Award Honor List as a ‘sharp collection of Afro-Surrealist work’. Visit her at eugenbacon.com.

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