If you saw the MCU’s Black Panther movie, you’ve already had some contact with afrofuturism. Coined by Mark Dery in his essay “Black to the Future,” Afrofuturism has become “a cultural catchphrase to describe the world of tomorrow today in music, art, theater, politics and academics.” But what does it mean? How to its practitioners artiulate afrofuturism? And what are some ways a complete beginner can get into afrofuturist works? Yet depending on whom you talk too, the definition of Afrofuturism often differs from person to person. Here’s more from Michael A. Gonzales in Essence Magazine:

“Afrofuturism bridges so many aspects of our culture, from African mythology, art and hip-hop to politics, comic books and science,” [Ytasha L. Womack] says. “The name serves as an anchor from which we can build ideas and expanding our minds.”

Artist John Jennings, who supplied Afrofuturism’s stunning cover, met Womack through a mutual friend and bonded over shared ideas of aesthetic. “Afrofuturism is not just science fiction based, but also about imagining different spaces of creative thought that doesn’t put you identity in a box,” says Jennings.

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Afrofuturist science fiction novels