Black Music as Rebellion ItAG: Afrofuturism

Robin Kelley on Aime Caesar and Negritude

Iconoclastic: Characterized by attack on cherished beliefs or institutions. Negritude and Afrofuturism each attack notions of institutionalized racism a major inhibitor against American racial reconciliation. 

Let’s Extend the Conversation…

What a great discussion! We are certainly doing some critical thinking for the conversations being had about Black History throughout our city. Undoubtedly, the identity Afrofuturism is iconoclastic. In fact, it reminds me of the Negritude Movement (discussed in the clip above) which also combated traditional notions of Black identity by denouncing Colonialism. 

Negritude celebrated Black pride and imagined a post-colonialist (future) world. Aime Ceasar argued that the prosperity of the 1st world depended on the toil of the 3rd world and rallied calls for independence through the 1950s and 1960s not long preceding the emergence of Afrofuturism which too claims Diasporic sensitivities. Wish I had made the connection earlier!

Let’s unpack the discussion we had using this space. Is there a need for “Afrofuturism” as a label? What’s the utility? Perhaps we can extend the conversation here and talk about about it in relation to the clip above if anyone else cares to play with the overlaps that exist between the two moments.