Afrofuturism

American  

[af-roh-fyoo-chuh-riz-uhm] / ˌæf roʊˈfju tʃəˌrɪz əm /

noun

1. a cultural movement that uses the frame of science fiction and fantasy to reimagine the history of the African diaspora and to invoke a vision of a technically advanced and generally hopeful future in which Black people thrive: this movement is expressed through art, cinema, literature, music, fashion, etc.

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Other Word Forms

• Afrofuturist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Afrofuturism

Afro- ( def. ) + futurism ( def. ); coined by U.S. author and critic Mark Dery (born 1959) in his essay “Black to the Future” (1993) published in Flame Wars: The Discourse of Cyberculture (1994)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Afrofuturism

It was among the first bands to hire Bill Whitten to create costumes mixing the iconography of ancient Egypt with Afrofuturism.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026

He’d sought answers to his country’s racial problems through scholarship, sociology, pan-Africanism, Afrofuturism, sci-fi, Socialism, Communism and finally expatriation, to Ghana, a new nation with a new president, Du Bois ally Kwame Nkrumah.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026

Afrofuturism is perhaps most popularly on display in the “Black Panther” films, which immerse viewers in an alternate reality of diverse, technologically advanced African tribes untouched by the forces of colonialism.

From New York Times ● Mar. 16, 2024

Iwájú, which actually means future in the Yoruba language, is "specific in it's Afrofuturism" by presenting a "solid sense of the Nigerian identity", according to the review.

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2024

It is a minimal, meditative listening experience — in some ways, ancient and, in others, an extension of the Afrofuturism that André 3000 has always worked to bring to the forefront.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 4, 2023