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

Across the record, she branches out into electronica, jazz, Chicago house and Afrofuturism, as she explores “all the different ways of existing in the world as a black person”.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2024

She spoke with The New York Times about what Afrofuturism means to her, the process of weaving the genre’s themes with core concepts in physics and how the show aims to inspire.

From New York Times ● Mar. 16, 2024

The visionary musician sees a template for Africa in the “Black Panther” films’ Afrofuturism.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 5, 2023