The Cosmology of Afrofuturism
10:00 AM |
| Black Panther (2018), Sun Ra (1974) |
The year is 1974. Mysterious figures step out of a makeshift spacecraft in Sun Ra’s film Space is the Place. It’s a pill-shaped structure with two spheres bulging out from either side, like eyes peering out into the galaxy. 44 years later, in 2018, a strikingly similar image is shown in theaters worldwide; the Black Panther, king of Wakanda, stepping out of a vehicle quite like Sun Ra’s -- except Sun Ra’s balloon-like design is replaced with highly advanced technology that other nations can only dream of.
Sun
Ra, born in 1914, was a jazz musician whose music was heavily inspired by
Ancient Egyptian mythology and futuristic elements of science fiction. His most
famous record, titled Space is the Place
(1973), became the face of an emerging creative movement and social phenomena
that integrated science and technology into the black narrative. In his 1994
essay “Black to the Future”, author Mark Dery coined a catchy term to define
this concept: afrofuturism.
In
2018, a new hero became a household name and a proud representative of the
afrofuturist genre: the Black Panther. The most recent installment in the
Marvel cinematic universe takes place mostly in Wakanda, a fictional African
nation that is run by incredibly efficient technology made by brilliant black
minds. Black Panther reached
audiences worldwide, during a time of socio-political turmoil in America and
across the world. The movie smashed the box office, earning $218 million
dollars during opening weekend alone. It became the highest grossing film in
the Marvel Cinematic Universe in just one week. In April 2018, it passed Titanic, becoming the third highest-grossing
film in the North American box office records.
The
movie’s popularity can not be solely explained by the fact that it belongs to
the pop culture sensation that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The appeal of Black Panther extends to minority
audiences, many of whom have never seen a black superhero before. The utopian
world of Wakanda is powered by vibranium, a mysterious substance that absorbs
kinetic energy, heals all wounds, and is weaved into the king’s suit. Vibranium
has seemingly endless capabilities. This may be a metaphor for the power of
melanin, the dark pigment that gives people of color their brown skin and dark
hair. It’s possible that vibranium’s powers reflect the black community’s
endurance, resilience, and magic. Wakanda is heaven for members of historically
oppressed groups who once felt as if there was no place for them.
The
eerie similarity between the scenes from Space
is the Place and Black Panther is
far from coincidental. The Marvel film drew heavy inspiration from the legacy
of Sun Ra. Both have become iconic images not only within circles of movie and
music enthusiasts, but they have touched the lives of people all throughout the
African diaspora. Afrofuturism is more than just another science fiction
subgenre, it is an examination of concepts such as heroism, technology, and
politics through the lens of black history and culture. It’s a vision of what
the future could potentially look like. The longevity and success of
afrofuturism is a nod to the fact that black
don’t crack.
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