While maybe not an essential read, it is well worth your time to check it out. Feb 24, 2018 the afrofuturism behind black panther. Surveying the range of sun ra s extraordinary creativity, this book explores how the father of afrofuturism brought space music to a planet in need of transformation, supporting the aspirations of black people in an inhospitable white world. The world of black scifi and fantasy culture is one of the most comprehensive and relevant reads in the black science fiction realm to date. Ytasha womack takes us on a quantum romp through the afromultiverse. Dec 27, 2018 the quest for that better day came to define sun ras interstellarthemed music and philosophy of afrofuturism, and that urge to write and speak more carefully would become a rule by which he lived his extraordinary life.
He became a leader of afrofuturism, a cultural aesthetic and style that. The afrofuturist approach to music was first propounded by sun ra. Arthur brown, whos from england, was pretty outrageous. He became a leader of afrofuturism, a cultural aesthetic and style that combines science fiction, fantasy, and afrocentrism to reimagine the african tradition. Sun ra, a jazz musician and bandleader who claimed he was from saturn. Jan 01, 20 a good introduction to the history of afrofuturism in everything from music to art to movies and literature.
Womack a multimedia artist will have you wanting to step on a star ship, meet androids, robots, extraterrestrials, and travel through time. Sun ra s chicago contends that late twentiethcentury afrofuturism emerged from a deep, utopian engagement with the cityand that by excavating postwar black experience from inside sun ra s south side milieu we can come to see the possibilities of urban life in new ways. But as he made his way through his contact book he quickly found the problem wasnt having to twist peoples arms to get them on board. Jemisin to the musical cosmos of sun ra, george clinton, and the black eyed peas will.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Afrofuturism on film, the sequel, which was to have run at bam through april 9, comes from a 1972 movie featuring sun ra, whose combination of. A good introduction to the history of afrofuturism in everything from music to art to movies and literature. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism discovering america youngquist, paul on. A magazine titled sun ra research was published irregularly for many years, providing extensive documentation of sun ra s perspectives on many issues. Even if youre not into sun ra, this book might help you at least appreciate his work. Every aspect of the sun ra experience, from business practices like saturn records to published collections of poetry to his 35year career in music, is a manifestation of his equations. Afrofuturism, the world of black scifi and fantasy culture, from ytasha l. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism offers a spirited introduction to the life and work of this legendary. Feb 12, 2018 afrofuturism it places african people, culture and tradition at its center. Youngquist teaches english at the university of colorado boulder. Though there are many definitions of afrofuturism, they all have themes of reclamation, black liberation. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. For some, like sun ra, afrofuturism though the term was not coined until after.
Known on earth for his inventive music and extravagant stage shows, he pioneered freeform improvisation in an ensemble setting with the devoted band he called the. Afrofuturism is a social, cultural and political philosophy dating back to the 1950s. Surveying the range of sun ra s extraordinary creativity, this book explores how the father of afrofuturism brought space music to a planet in need of transformation, supporting the. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism discovering america by paul youngquist oct 25, 2016. Such vanguard characters can trace their genesis to early champions of afrofuturism, paramount among them sun ra, the jazz composer, poet and. Sun ra space is the place 1973 to many this is the definitive afrofuturism album, without which much of what came after simply would not have happened. And more recently, its practitioners range widely, from writers like w. Born herman poole blount in segregated alabama in 1914, ra spent years developing a diverse portfolio as. Bodies and british romanticism, and race, romanticism, and the atlantic. The world of black scifi and fantasy culture, she defines the cultural phenomenon as. Sun ra and george clinton, cultural critic greg tate said. Sun ra s space is the place sees the musician on an. I highly recommend this book as it masterfully covers the genres humble past, its flourishing present and promising future.
Sun ras chicago contends that late twentiethcentury afrofuturism emerged from a deep, utopian engagement with the cityand that by excavating postwar black experience from inside sun ras south side milieu we can come to see the possibilities of urban life in new ways. Welcome to the first video in our 5 part original series afrofuturism. Immeasurable equation was published by phaelos books in november 2005. He is the author or editor of six books, including cyberfiction. Jazz funk afrofuturism with gritty new orleans vibe featuring trumpeter michael ray and vocalist laranah phipps. Described as the father of afrofuturism, sun ra created space music as a means of building a better future for american blacks here on earth. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism discovering america. Scifi digital series afrofuturism sun ra part 1 dust. Sun ra s collected poetry and prose is available as a book, published may 2005, entitled sun ra, the immeasurable equation. Feb 27, 2018 afrofuturism has been a part of black culture for years, especially in the music industry. She gains those powers by drawing on great black and queer artists of the past, from bessie smith and stevie wonder to whitney houston and george clinton. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism is a good read, and one i imagine any sun ra fan would enjoy. Dec 12, 2016 such vanguard characters can trace their genesis to early champions of afrofuturism, paramount among them sun ra, the jazz composer, poet and philosopher who incorporated scifi themes into his. Paul youngquist explores and assesses sun ra s wideranging creative outputmusic, public preaching, graphic design, film and stage performance, and poetryand connects his diverse undertakings to the culture and politics of his times, including the space race, the rise of technocracy, the civil rights movement.
Sun ras space is the place avantgarde jazz musician sun ra stars in this afrofuturist film, for which he wrote and created the music. Afrofuturism is a multimedia cultural genre that wields elements of science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, and even a little magic to address both the realworld issues facing black people in the present day, and to reexamine and offer up a better way to see ourselves in the future, both in fiction and in reality. George clinton, sun ra and the scifi funk of afrofuturism. Jan 12, 2019 blending the african diaspora with science, philosophy, and technology, afrofuturism has long been a apart of black pop culture. Oct 21, 2016 the following is from paul youngquists book, a pure solar world. Apart from sun ra, what other artists or figures exemplify futurism and afrofuturism to you. The book mentioned many books, movies and musical artists that i want to followup with. Afrofuturism seems especially visible right nowand relevant as we muddle through the notsoutopian realities of our socalled postracial era.
Feb 08, 2017 welcome to the first video in our 5 part original series afrofuturism. Nona hendryx on paying tribute to sun ra at the met. Surveying the range of sun ras extraordinary creativity, this book explores how the father of afrofuturism brought space music to a planet in need of. Afrofuturismalso known as the black speculative arts movementexists in films, literature, comics, visual arts or music. A pure solar world sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism by. With a twofold aim to entertain and enlighten, afrofuturists strive to break down racial, ethnic, and all social limitations to empower and free individuals to be themselves. So much so that shes written a genredefining book on the subject, elevating her among a small but growing group of artists, musicians, scholars, intellectuals, and social activists giving who are giving meaning to afrofuturism. The book explores and assesses sun ras wideranging creative.
Sun ra presents a unified conception, incorporating music, myth, and performance into his multileveled equations. Surveying the range of sun ras extraordinary creativity, this book explores how the father of afrofuturism brought space music to a planet in. At a certain point, issac hayes was creating futuristic work, a little bit after sun ra. Brilliantly and with abandon, writes paul youngquist, author of a fantastic exploration of the music of sun ra called a pure solar world. While the movement may be traced back to the eclectic sun ra, the influence has trickled down to. Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, philosophy of science, and philosophy of history that combines elements of science fiction, historical fiction, fantasy, afrocentrism, and magic realism with nonwestern cosmologies in order to critique not only the presentday dilemmas of black people, but also to revise, interrogate, and reexamine the historical events of the past. Sun ra 1914 1993 was an innovative jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesiser player, who came to be known as much for his cosmic afrofuturist philosophy as for his phenomenal musical compositions and performances. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism, sun ra crossed the inner city with outer space to create music as progressive socially as it was aesthetically. Dubois, the fiction of octavia butler, and the spaceinspired legacies of the dogon in one fronttoback read, could have helped some of my college peers feel more comfortable. Sun ras collected poetry and prose is available as a book, published may 2005, entitled sun ra, the immeasurable equation. It began in the twentieth century with artists like sun ra drawing on african cosmology and scifi. Afrofuturism download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism is a new book by paul youngquist published by the university of texas press, part of.
A book like afrofuturism, one which collected these disparate ideas and inspirations, ranging from the music theories of sun ra to the scifi work of w. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism offers a spirited introduction to the life and work of this legendary but underappreciated musician, composer, and poet. Nona hendryx is bringing sun ra and afrofuturism back into. Opinion the afrofuturism behind black panther the new. He abandoned his birth name, taking the name sun ra from the egyptian god of the sun named ra. Nona hendryx and disciples of sun ra in the temple was planned by hendryx as part of harlem stages yearlong series, the cosmic synthesis of sun ra and afrofuturism, of which she is. Despite afrofuturism being coined in 1993, scholars tend to agree that afrofuturistic music, art and text became more common and widespread in the late 1950s. Afrofuturism science fiction libguides at university.
But afrofuturism is more than art, and even more than art that means something. Comprising elements of the avantgarde, science fiction, cuttingedge hiphop, black comix, and graphic novels, afrofuturism spans both underground and mainstream pop culture. Binti by nnedi okorafor, home by nnedi okorafor, the night masquerade by nnedi okorafor, who fears death by nnedi okorafor. A pure solar world sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism by paul. Delany and octavia butler and the fantastical orchestra leader sun ra. Described as the father of afrofuturism, sun ra created space music as a. A real book about a deeply elusive topicblack people and the possibility of what sun ra used to call the alter destiny. As both a black male and an independent producer, sun ra defied racist institutions and beliefs.
From the scifi literature of samuel delany, octavia butler, and n. Sun ra and the birth of afrofuturism discovering america kindle edition. Oct 18, 2016 surveying the range of sun ras extraordinary creativity, this book explores how the father of afrofuturism brought space music to a planet in need of transformation, supporting the. For some just discovering it, exploring afrofuturism can seem like an intimidating task, but weve rounded up a few pieces of pop culture for beginners who wish to dip their toe into the genre. Herman poole blount sun ra was born and raised in alabama became involved in the jazz scene in chicago after world war ii. We hear mention of george clinton, bootsy collins, janelle monae, octavia butler, nnedi okorafor, sun ra and more. Afrofuturism gains new momentum as artists reclaim black.
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