AFROFUTURISM

Mic Mann is the South Africa-based co-founder and CEO of Africarare, Africa’s first metaverse, which aims to unlock African creativity and connect the continent to the global digital economy. 

hube: How would you define African creativity and imagination?

Mic Mann: All creativity stems from human culture. Africa’s very distinct culture is reflected in its unique style, which transcends art and design. It is very clear when a piece of creative work emanates from Africa. It will always have its own form of beauty. This talent is untapped in the digital world. 

h: Afrofuturism is starting to create social change in ways that were previously unattainable. Today, more artists, critics, and scholars are engaging with it. Does this philosophy find any reflection in the Africarare metaverse? 

MM: Yes, absolutely. We believe the metaverse is the greatest equaliser and will allow people to connect to other continents and cultures much more easily and showcase Africa’s unique spirit . We will shortly be launching the Normunda ribe of NFTs, based on the prolific work of world-renowned South African artist Norman Catherine. This collection truly embodies the unique creative talent of Africa. 

h:  In your opinion, why are the cultural, tech, and intellectual communities showing increased interest in Afrofuturism?

MM: In a world where populations are decreasing, Africa has one of the fastest growing populations. One in three children are expected to come from Africa by 2050. People who realise the value of population growth understand the opportunity presented by it and the emergence of the continent’s intellectual capital.

h: What role do you think the African continent and South Africa in particular can play in shaping future technological and cultural progress?

MM: Africans have always been storytellers—this is one of many talents that we can share to help advance cultural progress. The philosophy of Ubuntu emanates from Africa, and is based on coming together and how we, as humanity, are connected. The world can derive a lot of value from this perspective. We believe in the proverb: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’

Leilah Babirye is a multidisciplinary artist and LGBTQIA+ activist who was born in Kampala, Uganda and who lives in New York, USA. In 2015, Babirye fled Uganda after facing discrimination on the basis of her sexual orientation. In 2018, she was granted asylum in the United States. Today, she is widely considered as one of the leading voices in contemporary sculpture.

h: The social change promoted by Afrofuturism is being widely discussed by artists, authors, critics, and scholars. Is this movement reflected in your artistic practice? Are there visual symbols that originate from Afrofuturist aesthetics in your work?

LB: My work celebrates the tension between local traditions and the global context through combining traditional art from Africa with Western modernism. What was originally considered modernism is actually derived from Africal for example Picasso, Brâncuși, etc. This exoticising view of African imagery that was revolutionary in early 20th-century European art, but the foundation of straight white male ‘genius’ is now being reimagined and exposed retroactively. Afrofuturism looks to the past and to the future to create a new present.

h: Could we speak a little about the queer community in Uganda and how society there perceives gender roles? Do you believe that Afrofuturism can contribute to reimagining queer Black identity as a part of African diasporic history?

LB: Afrofuturism must be queer, it must be feminist. If Afrofuturism transcends the straight white patriarchy, then its power is in the LGBTQIA+ community and putting women on an equal platform. My work stands for believing that women can do whatever men can do. Women can still have men’s names and it’s okay. And men can have women’s names and it’s okay. That’s my work when talking about the clan system, and also the way I dress up in ‘men’s’ traditional clothing for my exhibition openings, which also raises a lot of questions back home.

h: What role do you think the African continent, and Uganda in particular, can play in shaping future artistic and cultural movements?

LB: My role as an artist and activist is to represent Uganda, I’m trying to make an impact by creating LGBTQIA+ communities using the traditions of the clans, so that society might be accepting of us through the lens of art. Women protested naked in northern Uganda to stop the killing of their innocent children in politics, the men were shamed into stopping by seeing women of all ages, and many older women, baring their breasts in protest. I worked in support of the musician Bobi Wine, who ran a protest campaign for president that was successful until the dictator cracked down. Ugandans can pair art and activism for creative solutions, and we’ll keep fighting until there is true freedom and equality.

Artsi Ifrach’s work is defined by multiple interests. Born in Israel to Moroccan parents, his background has influenced many of his works as a creative director and designer, but is especially inspired by the diverse cultures and histories of Africa. Currently based in Marrakech, Ifrach is among the voices revitalising dialogues around the continent because for him, there’s simply no place like home. 

h: Religion is very closely related to tradition. How do you translate traditions into the future, and how important is the past for your sense of the future?

AI: Religion is something important that belongs to the past. Without religion, or without belief, we’re going to be a bit lost. Religion is something very private, and everybody has their own private deity. I also have my own private god. Without believing [in something], I don’t think I can do anything. So, for me, this is the source of everything that I’m doing. I’m very keen on the past because I think the past is a very big influence on the future we’re going to live in. I think the past is the future. I think we all have to go back and I don’t think we have to consciously go forward, because we’re going to move forward anyway, no matter what. But, if we’re going to take on this so-called ‘forwardness,’ we have to think about what we have in the past that we are missing. I think a lot of people miss the past—I think they’re missing the simplicity and the slowness of the past, the way things look much easier. However, we are still very much fascinated by the future. Everything is moving so fast. So, what I’m trying to do is understand what the past means to people, and how to actually evolve into the future in a way that provokes us to feel something, to remember memories, and to feel emotions.

h: Afrofuturism seems to be flourishing in today’s mainstream of culture and academia. Why?

AI: I think people are interested in Africa because it is still very much in the past, while all of us are in the future. It actually makes Africa so valuable, because even with colonialism in Africa, there were a lot of traditions that remained and the only thing that remained untouched in Africa is the culture. If you go to Africa, you just have to step out into the street and you have a culture right in front of you.

What is also very interesting for people is the slow pace of life, how nature and the ‘normal’ way of life is very much appreciated. Materialism isn’t thriving in Africa as much as it is in the Western world. You still have a lot of groups and a lot of communities and a lot of tribes and a lot of heritages in the region that we can all learn from, especially with regard to topics such as sustainability. Somehow, I hope I’m not saying something wrong, but now we see the consequences of abusing our resources. In Africa, we did not abuse them, we actually really kept them close to us. I think that’s why Africa is so interesting. 

h: Is the philosophy of Afrofuturism reflected in your artistic practice? What recognisable visual symbols originating from Afrofuturist aesthetics can be seen in your works?

AI: I think all my work is related to the DNA of Africa and Morocco. I think all the codes that I have in my aesthetic are eventually implemented in my work. So, I’m just trying to reverse it in a way that it will function and be seen in the Western world as valuable. 

Accra-based artist and curator Nana Isaac Akwasi Opoku, also known as afroscope, often makes work rooted in a diversity of African world views and cosmogonies, merging NFT work with virtual and augmented realities.

hube: How would you define Black creativity and imagination?

Nana Isaac Akwasi Opoku: Black creativity and imagination is as vast, as diverse, and as dynamic as we are as a people. It’s almost impossible to define something so complex in a simple way because our ingenuity is incredibly expansive. Plus, it is constantly evolving too. It is an amalgamation of our collective histories, our individual idiosyncrasies, our conceptions of the future, of spirituality and everything in between. Our creativity and imagination is a core part of why we’re here today because despite the countless attempts to erase us, our heritage, and our knowledge systems, we’ve always managed to invent our way out of adversity and create compelling narratives that give us a reason to keep striving. 

h: Does Afrofuturism make any connections to your specific lived experience in the diaspora?

NIAO: I live and breathe Afrofuturism every day. It’s a framework that informs my motto ‘decolonize imagination’ and the alchemy that it necessitates. As an artist living in post-colonial Ghana, I confront material that affirms white supremacy every day, which I transmute into edifying Afrofuturist art that uplifts my people. I see this mission of constantly unlearning and reeducating as a kind life’s work. Because of the extent of the brainwashing and the damage that has been done to many of my people’s psyches and self-esteem, I tap into the spirit of Afrofuturism daily. I see the white Jesus posters every day, I hear the ads for bleaching creams, I witness the results of our broken colonially constructed education system every day, and so I have to work and draw on Afrofuturism every day. There are no days off.

h: What role do you think the African continent, and Ghana in particular, can play in shaping future artistic and cultural movements?

NIAO: Ghana has a huge role to play in shaping the future of art and culture. Many countries look to us for direction and inspiration. We set the tone as the first African country to gain independence from European colonial rule, and have been regarded as pioneers ever since. Although it can be argued that we have not shouldered this responsibility as well as we could have, I think we’re headed in the right direction in several regards. 2019’s ‘Year of Return’, which welcomed the African diaspora with open arms, is one testament to this fact. The many music and art festivals we’ve hosted in recent years which have attracted global audiences and superstars, which also suggest that Ghana has a significant role to play in shaping the future.

The entire continent has a role to play. For too long, our people have been oppressed and thus our stories suppressed. As the tides slowly turn in our favour, people across all 54 African countries have to seize the opportunity to make their stories known to the world. Be it through social media, books, or local community protests, the time to act is now. There has never been a bigger opportunity for us to influence the course of the future with our traditions, our knowledge systems, our spirituality, our imagination, and our style; and it behooves us to take this opportunity with everything we’ve got. 

Stephen Tayo is an image-maker based in Lagos, Nigeria, known for his intimate portraits. His work focuses on clothing, exploring the symbolism of fashion. His unique way of lensing people brings up multilayered explorations of identity, family, and community. 

h: Afrofuturism is starting to create social change in ways that were previously unattainable. Today, it seems that more artists, authors, critics, and scholars are engaging with it. Has it influenced your artistic practice? 

ST: I studied my bachelor’s degree in philosophy at the University of Lagos. I constantly think of ways to balance the way I approach photography, which is about asking questions. I have been able to use elements of philosophy—ideation, arguments, epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics—to juxtapose ways and find balance in my work. For me, I employ these tools to ensure that I could come from a place where I marry my discipline with my photography.

h: In your opinion, why has Afrofuturism developed more exposure?

ST: If scholars are raising this question about Afrofuturism in a new way, I believe that Africans are the front runners of the conversation. One of the things that should be happening is that Africans should be able to enable workspaces for themselves. A lot of this conversation is still being undertaken from the ‘outside.’ To make change, people need to pay attention to what Africa is actually trying to say. Africa shouldn’t be perceived as a single country. There are so many different ways there to practise their community. This should be well understood. African scholars tend to really study and understand what the culture really stands for. For me, there has to be a lot of attention placed on who is actually doing the work. On the topic of Afrofuturism, it could be very interesting. There is the argument to find balance and make meanings from stuff. [Personally], I always tried to rely more on Afrocentrism, because then, it is almost sort of rooted in Africa. It is almost like a thought process rather than problem solving. That is not to say that Afrofuturism can’t play that role, but there has to be some sort of rethinking and relearning in terms of Afrofuturism’s approach and how it establishes itself.

h: What African thinkers/talents/artworks/projects are important for your own sense of the future?

ST: I always like to look at the things that could mean something. You sometimes have to pay more attention to what things could be—for example, African cuisine. People are promoting African food at the moment. And people are also promoting African music. At the back end, they are creating African experiences. I believe there needs to be some attention paid to the combination of creativity. For me, I always love to tap into people who make furniture, fashion designers or stylists. It’s always a combination of finding ways to gather knowledge. The way I love to approach my work is by studying street culture. That could be everything that is available on the streets. I always look at the street from a position of constant revaluation, rethinking its atmospheric nature. That is really big in my practice.