London is going to be home to a new multidisciplinary festival of African culture, and it sounds like a pretty inspiring celebration.
Hot news from the future, folks. Some creative types are launching a brand-new festival of futurist black culture. The event will become a fixture of the calendar on a biennial basis and run for several months at a time, bringing together people from the worlds of literature, music and film for a look into what makes them tick.
The festival is founded and organised by Nigerian-born British writer and Member of the British Empire, Irenosen Okojie. It’s also backed by the Royal Society of Literature and the British Library so expect this thing to be serious business, and here to stay.
What Can We Expect?
Black to the Future will have a focus on Afrofuturism, a genre that imagines new worlds and alternate realities for black culture – it’s got shades of sci-fi and fantasy but also a strong emphasis on history.
Over a series of events from the 24th of October 2023 to the 24th February 2024 (bridging the gap between British and American Black History Months) they’ll delve into the subject at length.
Here are some of the main events:
Neptune Frost
On the 24th of October, the festival kicks off with a screening of Saul Williams’ sci-fi/punk musical Neptune Frost at The Garden Cinema. The screening is introduced by the founder of Africa-in-Motion Liz Chege and photographer David Kwaw Mensah with some discussion on Afro-utopias.
Genre Marauders
On the 3rd of November, the British Library will host a panel discussion about genre writing in books and games with the aim of demystifying the process. Arthur C Clarke award-winner Tade Thompson and BAFTA-nominated narrative designer Chella Ramanan will be on the panel with a host of other well-accoladed names.
Mami Wata Premiere
On the 19th of November, there will be a premiere of C J “Fiery” Obasi genre-bending futuristic flic Mami Wata. The film will be introduced by the director himself and followed by a Q&A session.
This is just a taste of the full programme, check their website here for more information on what’s going on. See you in the future.
Black to the Future: Practical Information
When: 24th October 2023 – 24th February 2024
Where: Multiple venues around London
