So says Chicagoan Ytasha L. Womack, author of “Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi & Fantasy Culture.” On Saturday in Chicago, she will conduct a workshop called Applying Afrofuturism.
Elements of Afrofuturism in art, film and music far predate the 1990s coining of the term. Think writer Octavia Butler and George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic. More recently, the torch has been carried by pop and soul artist Janelle Monae; techno musicians Juan Atkins and Jeff Mills; the Wachowskis through their “The Matrix” franchise; and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Nick Cave, the performance artist known for his Soundsuits.
Tech workers, creative thinkers and community organizers are looking to apply the principles to their work and communities, she said.
