Afrofuturism Movement Analysis

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Afrofuturism focuses on one element: the motherland Africa. Due to involuntary movement of black people throughout the world, the loss of this "mother" has created a deep sense of longing for reunion, and this marks a major theme within the Pan-African and Black Nationalism movements. This Afrocentric focus also incorporates Egypt, both as a historic reality and a religious image. The birthplace of Afro-intellectualism, Egypt holds a pivotal role as a theoretical mothership, influencing artistic movements from the 1960s psychedelics to 2018's Black Panther. By upholding a role as a symbolic mother, the ancient Egyptians left a lasting testament as a religious people who balanced both tradition and technology, which has major influence on ideals …show more content…

George Clinton refers to these qualities specifically in his Mothership Connection album, by referencing the great pyramids and singing of "partying on the mothership" (Clinton 1). This call to celebration in Egypt pays testament to the African country's natural beauty, resources, intellectual contributions, and architectural wonders. Many musical works lament the removal of black people from this nurturing environment, such as the popular spiritual "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child". Additionally, slavery-era artwork displayed a longing to reach home, as coded quilts used special patterns to disguise geographic locations to freedom, symbolizing the seen and unseen worlds (Anderson & Jones 27). The Atlantic slave trade lead to feelings of otherworldliness and alienation, which led to imaginings about alternate …show more content…

Black people, especially in the Americas, did not always receive credit for scientific innovations, and during slavery were forced to disengage from their cultural rituals in exchange for Christianity. Such events gave birth to new religious ceremonies that still drew from African ancestors, such as ringshouts and hush harbors.
Furthermore, Africa's appearance in black religion is special for this reason because it symbolizes a place of hope for "a landless people" (Long 190). For these reasons, the Black Panther film focused heavily on concepts of ritual, and characters in the film frequently encouraged each other to call upon the ancestors for assistance. Wakandan culture made a point to highlight Africa's "historical and religious possibilities" through these ancestral cries for help (Long