Afrifuturism
African Literature Today plans to publish a special issue (ALT 43) with a focus on “Afrifuturism” and hereby calls for well-researched articles for the volume. One of the more recent genres in African literature is Afrifuturism. It is a relatively new concept introduced by the Nigerian American science fiction and fantasy novelist, Nnedi Okorafor. The issue seeks to appraise crucial developments in the thematic engagement of writers in this field of writing.
The anticipated volume will pay attention to the following areas for critical investigation: What is Afrifuturism, who are the writers, and what are the defining features of the genre? The question of authorial position and writing: who is qualified to write in the genre, who are excluded; and what is the implication for an understanding of the African/black identity, nation, and nationalism? What is the role of gender and identity in shaping the genre and how do works of Afrifuturists engage with these themes? The question of genre: is science fiction suitable for the work of imaginative constructions of the future of Africa and Africans, contesting stereotypes of gender and identity, and reimagining nation and nationalism? How does the genre engage the complications of writings from both diaspora Africans and Africans from the continent? How does geo-political space contribute to the question of suitability of genre? In terms of theme and genre-specific questions, the volume seeks papers that will address the question of how science fiction allows writers to engage with the legacies of slavery and colonialism. To this end, how is the work of decolonization being conducted? By whom? Is Afrifuturism predominantly about creating an alternate reality for Africans and people of African descent or is it part of the process of decolonization? Who are the current theorists in the field and in what ways have their theorizations helped to shape our understanding of the genre and its accomplishments?
A specific aspect of ALT 43 is its exclusive focus on Afrifuturism. In this volume, the papers focus on literary and creative endeavors as well as theorization and criticisms that help shape our understanding of its history and contexts for interpretation of the genre. In this sense, it goes beyond the work of engaging the imaginative and its manifestation in African belief systems and values to a much broader work of situating the genre in complications of writings from both diaspora and Africans on the continent. It embraces recreating/reformulating themes and concepts around images of nation and nationalism, identity and belonging, while drawing from, among others, literary debates surrounding the legacies of slavery and colonialism.
Intending contributors could focus, among other topical and related subjects, on the following:
1. Theories and Criticism of Afrifuturism and presiding debates on current practice
2. The current state of the genre, its preoccupations, and key players
3. The nexus between Afrifuturism and African diaspora writing
4. The role of gender and Identity in shaping the genre
5. The points of departure between Afro-Futurism and Afrifuturism & implications for the field
6. The nexus between Science Fiction and Afrifuturism
7. New themes and forms in Imaginative Constructions of the African Future
8. Science Fiction and the Legacies of Slavery and Colonialism
9. Interviews with Writers in this genre
Submissions are also invited for:
LITERARY SUPPLEMENT– short creative writing selections – poetry, short stories, one-act plays.
FEATURED ARTICLES –exceptional non-themed articles on any aspect of African Literature (not more than 5000 words)
All items for ALT 43 (except those for LITERARY SUPPLEMENT and FEATURED ARTICLES), should be submitted as a Word document to the Guest Editor, Ernest Cole atcolee@hope.eduon or before 31 October 2024.
Items for LITERARY SUPPLEMENT and FEATURED ARTICLES should be submitted as a Word document to the Series Editor, Ernest N. Emenyonu ateernest@umich.eduon or before 31 October 2024.
Books for review (2 copies) should be sent to the Reviews Editor: Obi Nwakanma, University of Central Florida, English Department, Colburn Hall, 12790 Aquarius Agora Drive, Orlando, FL 32816, USA. Obi.Nwakanma@ucf.edu. Reviews should not exceed 2,000 words.
Authors should follow the ALT Guidelines for Submission of Articles.