Afrofuturism
Afrofuturism
Afrofuturism is the reframing and reimagining of the past, present, and future through a global Black lens. A multi-media movement rooted in issues of social justice and equity, it centers African and African American contributions to the advancement of science, technology, and culture and is often explored through music, art, and literature.
What is Afrofuturism?
Hear about our future in space from the Afrofuturism perspective, featuring Leslie Walker from the National Museum of African American History Culture. Talk with your family about their vision of our future space travels. What fictional movies, books, or do they think looks most like our future life on Mars?
Claiming Space
A Symposium on Black Futures
Past, Present, and Potential
Afrofuturism informs dynamic ways of seeing and being across time and space. This upcoming symposium examines the ever-expanding reach of Afrofuturist thought across oceans, into land reclamations, up to the stars, through cyberspace and inward as Black visionaries look to the infinite space within.
Sun Ra
Jazz musician Sun Ra is one of the most recognizable sonic architects of afrofuturistic music. In his 1973 album and film Space is a Place, Sun Ra discusses an afrocentric future that is linked to ancient forebearers in Egypt.
Programs to Watch on Demand
The Smithsonian Afrofuturism Series is a collaboration between the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the National Museum of African Art.
