THE "WHAT IF?" IN THE TIMELINES OF AFRICAN STORYTELLING: THE RELEVANCE OF AFROFUTURISM IN AFRICAN ANIMATION

In global sci-fi and fantasy, time is often a strict, linear progression, events follow one another in a neat cause-and-effect chain. 

But in many African cultures, time is fluid, layered, and cyclical, entwined with memory, ancestry, and spirituality. 

Afrofuturism in Africa uniquely reflects these concepts, offering fresh storytelling possibilities that challenge Western notions of time and futurity.

With that in perspective, what does the Afrofuturism genre in the growing African animation voice, provide for African animation creators?

But first, what is Afrofuturism?

What Is Afrofuturism?

Afrofuturism is more than just a blend of science fiction and African culture, it's a lens through which the African diaspora reimagines the future, past, and present. 

It merges African aesthetics, culture, and history with speculative elements like advanced technology, outer space, alternate realities, and myth. 

It's a way for Black creators globally, and especially African storytellers to assert agency over narratives often excluded from mainstream speculative fiction.

African Time: A Different Rhythm

The Western clock ticks steadily forward. African perceptions of time often move differently:

- Cyclical: Time repeats in patterns, which include seasons, rituals and generations. The past is never truly gone. It’s alive in the present through ancestors and stories.

- Layered: Multiple timelines coexist, with spiritual and physical realms overlapping.

- Relational: Time is defined by relationships, such as between people, between humans and nature, between the living and the dead.

This temporal fluidity invites narratives where past, present, and future are woven together, not separated.

Afrofuturism: Africa’s Sci-Fi and Mythic Futures

Afrofuturism, broadly, blends technology, culture, and speculative futures rooted in the African diaspora. But African Afrofuturism often:

- Integrates ancestral knowledge with futuristic tech.

- Imagines alternative timelines where colonialism never occurred or where ancient empires thrive in advanced forms.

- Explores the spiritual dimensions of technology, where machines and spirits coexist or merge.

African Afrofuturism is a cosmic dialogue between what was, what is, and what could be.

Core Themes Explored in Afrofuturism and their relevance

Reclaiming History & Identity

Afrofuturism reclaims African history and challenges colonial narratives. It rewrites the past through speculative fiction to explore “what if” scenarios where African civilizations advanced uninterrupted.

In animation, this can be visualized through reimagined ancient kingdoms with futuristic technology or alternate histories where African societies lead space exploration.

Technology & Spirituality

A recurring motif is the fusion of advanced tech with African spirituality, traditions, and myth. Unlike Western sci-fi, which often positions tech and faith at odds, Afrofuturism can harmonize them.

Animated stories might show ancestral spirits communicating through AI or a child harnessing spiritual energy in a cybernetic world.

Diaspora and Cultural Memory

Afrofuturism often bridges the experiences of the African diaspora with the continent, exploring issues like displacement, cultural erasure, and memory.

Animation offers a unique visual medium to depict these hybrid identities, merging Afro-Caribbean, African-American, and African elements.

Liberation and Resistance

Many Afrofuturist narratives explore themes of resistance, against oppression, colonization, or dystopian control. They offer empowering visions of liberation, often led by Black protagonists.

For African animation, this becomes a way to depict young heroes not as victims but as central figures in shaping their worlds.

Imagining African Futures

Perhaps most importantly, Afrofuturism offers a canvas to imagine African cities, societies, and cultures in the future, free from poverty narratives or foreign-imposed ideas of development.

Animators can explore what African architecture, fashion, transport, or education might look like in 2125, grounded in local culture but forward-thinking.

Storytelling Across Timelines

Animation excels at visually portraying layered timelines and alternate realities:

- Characters might move between past and future seamlessly.

- Ancestral spirits can appear as guides or guardians in futuristic settings.

- Cities might blend ancient architecture with advanced technology.

These storytelling techniques invite viewers into worlds where time is a living and breathing presence, not just a backdrop.

Why This Matters

Understanding African concepts of time helps creators:

- Craft stories that honor cultural heritage while innovating.

- Avoid imposing Western linear narratives on African futures.

- Create rich, multi-dimensional characters who exist across time and space.

For audiences, it offers new ways to experience sci-fi and fantasy, less about technology alone, more about identity, memory, and destiny.

Visualizing African Time and Afrofuturism in Animation

Visual tools include:

- Layered imagery and overlapping frames to show multiple realities.

- Symbolic motifs representing ancestral presence.

- Futuristic designs inspired by indigenous patterns and natural forms.

These create immersive worlds that feel both ancient and advanced.

Conclusion

African time and Afrofuturism invite us to rethink storytelling’s relationship with time, history, and identity. Most importantly, Africa's relationship with it's history.

Through animation, these concepts become vivid and accessible, expanding the boundaries of genre and culture.

By embracing African temporalities, animators craft stories that are not just about the future, but about how the past and future live inside us today.

What are some of your views on Afrofuturism and how it helps African animation? Let us know in the comments