Reading Contemporary African Science Fiction as Afrofuturism

Abstract

When one looks at discussions of Afrofuturism, too often the focus is on African-Americans, or others of the Diaspora. In this paper the focus will be on African authors of the twenty-first century. South African authors and their SF, such as Lauren Beukes (Moxyland, Zoo City), and Henrietta Rose-Innes (Nineveh), examine the continuing impact of apartheid, and the role of women. At the same time, the anthology AfroSF (Nnedi Okorafor and others ed.) is compelling evidence for those who persist in thinking of Africa as a country, not the second biggest continent, of the wide range of African SF. Here one examines how the conventional sub-genres of SF can be used in remarkably original ways, bringing out the Afrocentric dimensions.