Afrofuturism and Africanfuturism: Black speculative writings in search of meaning and criteria

Abstract

This paper interrogates the concepts of Afrofuturism and Africanfuturism, describes and interprets the indices that differentiates both concepts. The paper is informed by the belief that all black speculative writings are Afrofuturistic, and views this classification as inappropriate because Dery’s Afrofuturism is clearly an African-American signification that provides no space for the African imaginary. Okorafor’s Africanfuturism is hinged on the fact that, there are narrative convergence and departure for both concepts. Using meta-criticism, textual examples are drawn from both concepts, for purpose of critical elucidation and clarification. Meta criticism is systematic, logical, and views the text as an ongoing process, where the critic’s opinion becomes a means to the realization of meaning. This article contends that there is the need for a different set of criteria for evaluation and categorization of both concepts, and proposes five-point criteria—experience, authorship, language, black heroism and technology for their evaluation.