Africanfuturism widens our understanding of people's hopes
NAI researcher Patience Mususa argues that literature and science fiction can open up new perspectives in the understanding of people's narratives of hopes and aspirations.
More and more dystopian stories examine societal challenges on the African continent. Recently, the Nigerian-American author Nnedi Okorafor defined the concept of Africanfuturism as a sub-genre of science fiction that heavily features African history or culture. What distinguishes this genre? And what can anthropologists and other researchers learn from it?
A conversation about new perspectives in science fiction, featuring:
- Nnedi Okorafor, Nigerian-American author (Binti Trilogy)
- Lauren Beukes, South African novelist (Zoo city, The Shining Girls, Broken Monsters, Afterland, etc)
- Patience Mususa, anthropologist with a focus on urbanism in southern Africa
- Moderator: Therese Sjömander Magnusson, director of the Nordic Africa Institute
This conversation was recorded by the Swedish Educational Broadcasting Company, Utbildningsradion, on 23 September 2022 at the Gothenburg Book Fair.
Organizers: The Nordic Africa Institute, Palaver Press and Doppelgänger publishing house.