Discussions, Poetry And Film Analysis Mark Return of ‘Afrofuturism Explored!’ Conference Saturday
The “Afrofuturism Explored!” conference returns Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Liberal Arts and Arts and Humanities Building, Room 453.
The second-annual event in honor of Black History Month features panel discussions with students and faculty, keynote speakers, poem recitations and a film screening. It was organized by Dr. Will Connor, lecturer in the Performance and Visual Studies program.
The conference is open to faculty, students and the community, presented by the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts; Visual Materials and Performance Cultures section; Media Gaming Lab; Global Languages and Cultures; and the Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research.
Admission is free; registration is required.
Connor said guests will explore different angles of Afrofuturism — a term first coined by Mark Dery that combines Black culture and science fiction, with a technology-based view of the future through the arts. The concepts are heavily portrayed in Marvel’s “Black Panther” comic books and film series through costumes, design, music and creative choices, Connor said.
Afrofuturism first intrigued Connor while attending the Atlanta Jazz Festival in 1990, where he met the innovative musician Sun Ra.
“Afrofuturism can be emotional,” he said. “It can be recharging and draining at the same time, but it always has a positive net at the end.”
The conference debuted in 2024. This year’s themes are Afrofuturism and Performativity; African Futurism and adjacent art movements; and genres such as Afro-horror and Afro-Cuban Futurism.
Connor invited speakers to present research papers that have a performance studies focus.
“The guests speaking at the conference submitted some really creative works,” he said. “Some will give scientific discussions, but the research is all over the map — it’s a wide variety, which is really cool.”
Dr. Rita Lucarelli, an associate professor of Egyptology at UC Berkeley, was invited as the keynote speaker. Connor said she will discuss her research about the cultural influences in the music of Sun Ra.
“Dr. Lucarelli will talk about how knowledgeable Sun Ra was of ancient Egyptian history,” he said. “She found a lot of accuracy in how he incorporated Egyptian culture in his music.”
Dr. Reynaldo Anderson, an associate professor of Africology and African American Studies at Temple University, will discuss his book “Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise of Astro-Blackness.”
Kevin Johnson, a graduate anthropology student, will recite Afrofuturist poems.
Guests will watch a short film titled “Afronauts,” which is about the Zambian space program from the 1970s, Connor said. Dr. Aurore Spiers, assistant professor in Performance and Visual Studies, will lead a discussion on the film.
Connor said he is interested in seeing how guests interpret Afrofuturism from a contemporary point of view.
“Because of Sun Ra and his impact on me, I have a place for Afrofuturism of the past, but it’s not the past anymore,” he said. “I want everyone to realize Afrofuturism is still relevant.”
To register, submit the conference form.
Schedule
9 a.m. Introduction with Dr. Will Connor: “Afrofuturist Allies.”
9:30 a.m. Panel 1 — Student and community talks featuring Justin Hopson, Ciara Anderson and Essence Wylie.
10:30 a.m. Panel 2 — Zoom discussions with Dr. Reynaldo Andersen: “Afrofuturism and World Order.”
11:30 a.m. Lunch
12:15 p.m. Film presentation: “Afronauts” (2014).
12:30 p.m. Film discussion, led by Dr. Aurore Spires.
1 p.m. Panel 3 — Afrofuturism poetry featuring Kevin Johnson and Faith Odele.
2 p.m. Keynote Speaker Rita Lucarelli: “A Solar-Ship Voyage: The Ancient Egyptian Religion as Inspiration in the Life and Music of Sun Ra and the Astro Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra.”
3 p.m. Panel 4 — Faculty talks featuring Dr. Grace Adinku, Dr. Mike Collins and Dr. Muhammad A. Ahmad
4:30 p.m. Closing comments
Top photo: Dr. Will Connor organized the “Afrofuturism Explored!” conference. Photo by Justin Kling/College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts.
