Monday Member in the Spotlight Today I interview Ytasha L. Womack, author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture andRayla 2212 aaihs.org/author-interview-ytasha-l-womack-on-afrofuturism/ Cameron: What led you to write Afrofuturism? Womack: I’ve met many Afrofuturists over the years who didn’t know they were Afrofuturists, myself included. I discovered the term a couple of years ago. However,the ideas engaging black culture, the imagination, liberation and technology, as well as mysticism are frequently discussed notions within our communities. I was familiar with many of these ideas as a child. However, I found that because many of those discussing this topic didn’t know the subject had a name or body of work, they often felt isolated in their thinking. They felt alone. I wanted people who worked with these ideas to see that they were part of a larger continuum of thought with a history, community and a future. I hoped they would build on their ideas with others and feel empowered to reimagine their lives and communities in the world. Cameron: What is your argument and/or the main themes in the book? Womack: I believe that Afrofuturism is a great way to trigger the imagination. There’s something about discussing black people in the future or discussing alternative realities through a black cultural lens that takes people out of their typical boxes of thinking and compels them to reexamine and explore. People of African descent aren’t often depicted in mainstream sci fi or in matters related to the future, so even the contemplation of Afrofuturism empowers people to be engaged in cocreating their world. Cameron: How does Afrofuturism relate to other elements in black cultural and intellectual life, including music, religion, and literature? Womack: The imagination is the pathway to creativity and innovation. Through this process of creating, creators become open to new ideas and empowered in the development of their own ideas. Ultimately, this leads to resilience and much of our art throughout history is a testament to the perseverance of the human spirit despite incredible odds. Art, jazz, hip hop, beat, house, spoken word and more are in part developed around the ideas of improvisation. Improvisation is a sign of mastery, but it’s also a free form of expression that connects creators and listeners to broader ideas that trigger the imagination. Music, art and literature explore space metaphorically and in some cases literally. In so doing these art forms help us to connect to an identity of who we are that are more expansive than the identities often ascribed to us. Cameron: You’ve recently ventured into fiction writing. Can you tell us a bit about your new novel Rayla 2212? Womack: Rayla 2212 follows Rayla Illmatic, a war strategist three generations deep on a fairly new society that was once a former space colony for Earth. The story begins in year 2212. Rayla’s once utopian planet is now dystopian and she is charged with finding the creator of a mysterious program that once taught neo astronauts how to travel with their mind. The quest takes Rayla on an inner/outer journey where she has to do some time travel and wrestle with identity on a soul level and navigate a love triangle. But she gets to go to some previous lifetimes including one where she’s a princess in East Africa. A novella version of the story inspired the Race in Space Conference at Duke University. The conference explored equality in future space settlement and engaged scientists and sci fi writers of color. I’m pretty excited about the story, because as a writer who deals with culture, this story forced me to look at how race, or the lack theorof would play out in the future. The book per se isn’t about race, but I had to deal with the notion of race as a creation before I could freely write about the character and build her world. For Rayla, race as we know it doesn’t exist, but the cultures of people of color from her past are entrenched on her new planet. She lives on the outskirts of Obama City, for one. One of the months of the year is named after MLK and Ghandi. There’s a new star in the sky named in honor of Michael Jackson. One of the planet’s former griots is a Goddess that Rayla looks to for inspiration. Cameron: What are you working on now? Womack: I’m continuing to tour with the books Afrofuturism & Rayla 2212. In fact, if you buy a copy of Rayla 2212 this month it will support the Tom Joyner Foundation’s scholarships drives for Clark Atlanta University, my alma mater. I’m also in preproduction for a sci fi film that I will shoot this year. — with Ytasha L. Womack.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 14:49:55 +0000