afrofuturismblog

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Blog Post #5

Two examples of Afrofuturist works, Janelle Monae's "Dirty Computer" and Wanuri Kahiu's "Pumzi," delve into the complexities of technology and its role in shaping alternative futures for marginalized communities. In "Dirty Computer," technology serves as both a tool of oppression and resistance in a dystopian society where conformity is enforced through memory erasure. The protagonist, Jane 57821, rebels against this oppressive regime by embracing her identity as a "dirty computer," reclaiming her memories, and challenging societal norms. Monae's narrative critiques the dangers of technological control and celebrates the power of individual agency in the face of systemic oppression. Similarly, "Pumzi" explores the consequences of technological advancements in a post-apocalyptic world where resources are scarce, and life is regulated within enclosed domes. The protagonist, Asha, discovers a seedling outside the dome and embarks on a quest to nurture new life in a barren landscape. Kahiu's film raises questions about the ethical use of technology, environmental sustainability, and the potential for regeneration and renewal amidst societal collapse. 

Both "Dirty Computer" and "Pumzi" exemplify how Afrofuturist works engage with technology as a central theme to envision alternative futures and critique present-day power structures. Through speculative storytelling, these works challenge conventional notions of progress and offer insights into the intersection of race, identity, and technological innovation. In "Dirty Computer," Monae's fusion of music, visuals, and narrative creates a vibrant tapestry of Afrofuturist aesthetics, blending futuristic imagery with elements of Afrocentric symbolism and queer identity. The album's accompanying short film expands on these themes, offering a visually stunning exploration of resistance, liberation, and the transformative power of love. 

Meanwhile, "Pumzi" presents a more subdued portrayal of technology, focusing on the intimate connection between humanity and nature in a world ravaged by environmental catastrophes. Kahiu's emphasis on preserving life and the healing power of nature underscores the importance of ecological balance and sustainability in shaping Afrofuturist visions of the future. In conclusion, "Dirty Computer" and "Pumzi" demonstrate how technology serves as a lens through which Afrofuturist artists explore themes of identity, oppression, and resilience. By interrogating the impact of technological advancement on marginalized communities, these works offer provocative reflections on the possibilities and pitfalls of shaping alternative futures in an increasingly technologized world.

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Blog Post #4

In these past couple of days, I have begun writing my final paper for this class. I will be comparing and contrasting the two works from class, “Dirty Computer” by Janelle Monae and “Pumzi” directed by Wanuri Kahiu. These two works both have black female protagonists, which definitely is a defining theme in both, however, they both have very different journeys and purposes in their scripts. First of all, Janelle Monae’s protagonist, Jane, is a free spirit and is constantly deceiving the government trying to control her. Kahiu’s main character, Asha, begins her journey under numbing pills and being brainwashed by her government-type people keeping her and her fellow humans working. Asha’s journey is to save the tree she finds on the map, she travels across the desert in order to save the human race. This is what makes the two protagonists different. 

I also found that these two works have a similar theme of numbness or emotionless control over people helps control them. In both “Dirty Computer” and “Pumzi” there is numbness. In “Dirty Computer” there is a major part of the music video that shows Jane getting her memories of her freedom and self-expression wiped. This shows that the government wanted to control her behavior and not have any outliers in their society, only law-abiding citizens. In “Pumzi” there are the pills Asha is notified to take a lot that takes away her emotions. This keeps her from thinking too much and allows the government to control her and turn her into a working mechanism in the building instead of a human trying to find a solution for the outside world.

I think that both of these works show a positive outlook of deceiving a higher power. Both of the main characters prove that if you go against a negative power above, you can fix things for the better, or live the life that you want to. In “Dirty Computer” there are a lot more references to segregation and America’s history and present problem of racism. I believe that this makes it more compelling to see that she is fighting against a government that tries to suppress her as a black, queer woman.  In “Pumzi” it is much more ominous because we do not know exactly what happened but we can see that there is a higher power controlling the people in this building. The computers are giving commands that indicate the technology is controlling everything, this could also be a warning to us watching it not to let AI take over our world.

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Blog Post #3

Over the last couple of weeks, we have tackled lots of works and many themes that are associated with Afrofuturism. These themes recur throughout Afrifuturistic books, movies, and graphic novels. I think that one theme that I found particularly interesting in the first half of the quarter was Black Female Savior. The black female savior is a theme that is seen in the short film, “Pumzi”. In this film, the protagonist, a black woman, finds a seed that shows life outside of the facility she lives in. She brings it upon herself to find out the truth about where she is living so she sets out to find this tree she found in the computer. She travels across the desert to find this tree and successfully finds the tree, hence her being the black female savior for Earth in this short film. 

Another film that contains a black female savior is, “Of Children and Men”. In this film the world faces infertility, inevitably leading to the extinction of humans. While the world is falling apart the only human woman who can get pregnant is a black woman named, Kee. I believe that in this film the theme of black woman savior is so evident because in the world black women are judged and discriminated against the most, so to have a black woman become the one person who can save the future of the human race is almost ironic. This movie also pokes at modern-day America because it shows where the world could go if we do not take care of the planet, and prejudices against black people are still relevant in this movie, which means we need to change how we act now to create a better future for the Earth.

Finally, the work that we talked about the most in this class is, “Parable of the Sower” a dystopian book and graphic novel by Octavia E. Butler. This book follows the journal entries of teenager Lauren Olamina. Being black and female in this dystopian world was not ideal, almost like it is in today’s society. She must pretend to be a man, and run from the bad people who seem to be running the world. In the end, she leads a group of people to a safe area that they believe to be the new place for their lives. She also created Earthseed sayings that people followed almost like a religion, even though she led with confidence she showed fear a lot in the book. This goes to show each savior has their doubts at some point.

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Blog #2

When I think about what my Earthseed community would be I think about what I care about in this world and I believe that two real life issues that I would fight against is climate change and gun control. We would be hiding from people who believe that guns give people power to overthrow their superiors. We would also work together to create climate positive habits that will help the world in its changing. I would use the Earthseed verse “All that you touch, You Change. All that you Change, Changes you. The only lasting truth Is Change. God Is Change." Because this shows that change is constant but good change is the only way to make the Earth better. I think that this could be applied to Climate Change because obviously things change but we need to change for the better you can choose how you change. This is also relevant to gun control beucase as culture and the world society changes we need to change laws and sometimes amendments. As we all know the Amendments were made so long ago some of them are in need of a tune up to be more relevant to today’s problems we face today. I would also quote "Why is the universe? To shape God. Why is God? To shape the universe." I would quote this because we should be asking all questions that explain all of our worlds changes. Ask questions that give answers to the world. Ask questions that you think you shouldn’t ask. Getting answers is the only way we learn and change from out historically bad choices. 

I will create my Earthseed community at a college campus. I would probably pick UCLA because I know the area and I know there are a lot of resources near us. I like the spot of UCLA because not only do I know there is space to hold and preserve food but there is massive amounts of beds and space to sleep and be outside as well. Only nonviolent positive people can join this community. There is need for strong willed people too, people who are willing to work together as a group and stick to their guns, metaphorically of course. Me leadership model will be Matriarcical, as a circle, we will have some leaders and some people in charge of something else. We will work as a team and keep the weakest in the care of the strongest. Solar panels that can power a water cleaning system. And it can power a whole building of cooking equipment, water purifying, washing machines and heaters and air conditioning. 

We will survive by working together and keeping a low radar. We will protect ourselves using the solar panels, because they will take out anything dangerous. And we will thrive by creating our own gardens and living spaces. We will reinvent community and living. Instead of everyone being their own house and cars, we will work together to reduce emissions by just being together and experience life together for eachother. 

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Blog #1

In the first few weeks of class, we discussed in depth the idea of Afrofuturism. Afrofuturism is a genre of entertainment dedicated to science fiction works focusing on elements of Black history and culture. I found that a piece that encompasses this genre very well is the music video “Dirty Computer” by Janelle Monae. In this video, we can see Janelle Monae living in a dystopian society where everyone is free to explore themselves sexually, culturally, and socially. Here we see Monae have her memories erased and we can see the robots resemble that of a government or military. I found that the scene where the robot pulled Janelle Monae over with all of her friends in the car, is symbolism of present day police injustice. I think this is supposed to show that things in the future cannot change unless we do not make changes now for the better. 

Learning about the history of afrofuturism in America is very interesting and you can see it evolve through short films and music videos. Sun Ra is a group that I think stands out for sure. I think that the major things that stand out in their music video “Space is the Place” is the reference to history in the sense that it is in the future. I think this is very similar to the themes that “Dirty Computer” have as well. This underlying theme of the past recurring in the future is very dark and daunting. I think that this is a basis that afrofuturism was built on. The purpose of the genre is to warn about the future because of the past. 

When we discussed “Black Panther” the movie in class and I thought that it was very interesting to learn that people were upset about how Wakanda was portrayed. I thinkt hat Black Panther was very interesting that no one thought it was a good representation of what the think a futuristic black community would look like. I personally think that the movie was definitely dramatized and Marvel tried their best. It was a good movie but obviously there are some push back from the audience.