The Past and Future of Afrofuturism

(Article by John-Baptiste Oduor posted on artreview.com. Photo credit: Kara Walker)

“The body of work loosely contained under the label of Afrofuturism exists within two radically distinct but conceptually overlapping timelines. The first encompasses the history of the United States but focuses its attention on slavery and its aftermath, traced all the way into the current century – the longue durée…”

Read the entire article: https://bit.ly/3Q6X3eo

#planetxnubiaphi #xnubiaphi #afrofuturism

The World’s First International Black Heritage Month Connects The African Diaspora To Celebrate Juneteenth (USA) And Windrush Day (UK) Around The World Virtually

(Article by editor on africa.com. Photo credit: editor)

“With a digital media platform that focuses on World Shapers, Afro-Futurism, Cultural Bridge Builders, and much more for 2022. Can you imagine the modern world without the influences of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Idris Elba, Naomi Campbell, Lewis Hamilton, or Sade? When we look at science and inventions, the contributions by people of color go wide and far from developing mathematics to architecture and much more especially from the continent of Africa…”

Read the entire article: https://bit.ly/3HQIWXX

#xnubiaphi #afrofuturism

Fighting global poverty from space

(Article by TRT World on trtworld.com. Photo Credit: TRT World)

“Night satellites orbiting the Earth can be a new way to identify economic inequality. Despite the success in reducing global poverty over the last two decades, nearly one billion people continue to live without access to reliable electricity, which in turn impacts health and welfare and impedes sustainable development. Knowing where these people are is crucial if aid and infrastructure are to reach them. Now, a new IIASA-led study proposes a method to estimate global economic wellbeing: the use of nighttime satellite images….”

Read the article: https://bit.ly/3sAEt59

#afrofuturism #xnubiaphi

Jessica Watkins, First Black Woman On The International Space Station Crew

(Article by Shanique Yates on afrotech. Photo credit: NASA)

“Meet the first Black woman to join the International Space Station (ISS) crew! Jessica Watkins is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut who will make history with her debut spaceflight. She is set to become the first Black woman to not only join the space station crew but also live and work in space for a long-duration mission on the orbiting outpost, according to TODAY. She will make her journey starting April 2022 aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule from the NASA Kennedy Space Center located in Cape Canaveral, FL…”

Read the article: https://bit.ly/3oqmzAn

#afrofuturism #xnubiaphi

Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute to Open its First Real-Time Earth Ground Station in Africa

(Press release from ViaSat. Photo Credit: GSSTI)

“Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, today announced the launch of its first Real-Time Earth (RTE) facility in Africa, located in Accra, Ghana. Viasat worked in partnership with the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI)… focused on coordinating all space, science, technology and related activities in Ghana, to bring new space opportunities and jobs to the region, while expanding Viasat’s ability to deliver critical earth observation and remote sensing data on-demand around the world….”

Read the press release: https://bit.ly/3kvlkxt

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackentrepreneur #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts #blackownedbanks #blackblueprint #afrofuturistagenda #afrofuturistnews

Panel Mania: Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale by Tim Fielder

Compiled by Calvin Reid

“Tim Fielder’s new graphic novel Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale is ambitious in the extreme. It is an epic adventure and a meta-fictional tale of survival that celebrates the presence of the Black man and Black woman in genre storytelling from the beginning of time until the end of the universe. It’s the story of Aja Oba, an ancient African warlord, who is cursed with immortality after he betrays a vengeful lover who is also a powerful witch. Oba comes to realize he has been transformed into an undying Black storytelling presence and as the millennia accumulate he inserts himself into every great historical narrative from the ancient barbarian wars to the slave trade and Civil Rights Movement to new technological advances, space travel, and the colonization of planets far from earth. In this five-page excerpt, the reader is introduced to Aja Oba and to the beginning of his endless journey through time and storytelling. Infinitum: An Afrofuturist Tale by Tim Fielder will be published by Amistad this month.”

Source: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/85352-panel-mania-infinitum-an-afrofuturist-tale-by-tim-fielder.html

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackentrepreneur #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts #blackownedbanks #blackblueprint #afrofuturistagenda #afrofuturistnews

Sun Ra’s Chicago: Afrofuturism and the City

“In Sun Ra’s Chicago, [author] William Sites brings this visionary musician back to earth—specifically to Chicago’s South Side, where from 1946 to 1961 Ra lived and relaunched his career from a leader of big-bands to a leader of the avant-garde. Sites, an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration, recognized the importance of Ra’s early cities, Birmingham and Chicago, on his development and thinking. By exploring Ra’s urban sphere, Sites explains, ‘I hoped I might reveal things about those cities, about Black urban experience more generally, and about the deep and complex urban roots of Afrofuturism.'”

Source: https://ssa.uchicago.edu/ssa_magazine/sun-ras-chicago-afrofuturism-and-city

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackentrepreneur #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts #blackownedbanks #blackblueprint #afrofuturistagenda #afrofuturistnews

A Guide to Sun Ra on Film

“You could devote your entire life to exploring Sun Ra’s galaxy of music, art, and writing and never reach an end. During his 79 years on this particular planet, the interstellar bandleader was a perpetual motion machine of creativity, releasing countless records, touring constantly, and penning works of Afrofuturist poetry and philosophy. Ra’s universe is still expanding, more than a quarter-century after he left this earthly plane; there’s a seemingly never-ending flow of releases and rediscoveries, and the Sun Ra Arkestra, still an ongoing concern under the direction of saxophonist Marshall Allen, will release its first album since 1999 this month.”

Source: https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/a-guide-to-sun-ra-on-film/

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackentrepreneur #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts #blackownedbanks #blackblueprint #afrofuturistagenda #afrofuturistnews

Top African tech startups have solutions to some of the continent’s pressing challenges

“Africa’s top startups presented innovative proposals to tackle water, food and land security, healthcare, urban development and engineering challenges in Africa. The two-day summit… also included expert-led sessions looking at investment, food sustainability, smart cities and villages, drone testing, image analytics, aviation policy for sustainable growth and the role of women in the aerospace industry.”

Source: https://africanews.space/africas-top-aerospace-and-remote-sensing-startups-presented-solutions-to-some-of-the-continents-pressing-challenges/

We always knew Africans could solve their own problems, but now it’s evident. The image of starving Africans is being replaced with thriving African technology centers. African Americans have the capacity to do this as well. What is the blueprint for cultivating technology innovation and incubating technology startups in marginalized communities in America?

#afrofuturism #blackmusic #blackjesus #blackentrepreneur #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience #theblackvote #afropoliticians #blacksciencefiction #blackspeculativearts #blackownedbanks #blackblueprint #afrofuturistagenda

One step closer to an African space program

“Pan African University Institute for Space Sciences to begin operation soon”

Source: https://africanews.space/the-pan-african-university-institute-for-space-sciences/

The Pan African University (PAU) Institute for Space Sciences curriculum includes Space Engineering (Satellite Engineering, Ground Segments), Space Sciences (Space Physics, Satellite Communications, Navigation and Positioning), and Space Applications (Astronomy and Earth Observations). I’d be curious to know what projects Stellenbosch University, University of Cape Town, North-West University, Durban University of Technology, University of Fort Hare, University of Pretoria, and University of KwaZulu-Natal have these graduate students working on. I’m sure some inner city classrooms would love to connect with these African grad students. How can we make that happen?

#afrofuturism #blackfuturist #xnubiaphi #afrophysicist #afronaut #afroscientist #afrochemist #afrobotanist #afrotechnology #afroexplorer #afrohorticulturist #blackgenius #blackengineers #NSBE #afroengineers  #blackfuturist  #blacktothefuture #darkmatter #darkscience