Exploring the phenomenon of Afrofuturism in film

What is it about?

The article reports on a case study in which the film 'Black Panther' was used to attempt to advance the idea of Afrofuturism in the university curriculum and to uncover the lived experiences, social realities and ideas of identity of students.

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Why is it important?

The students in the study clearly felt empowered by the film’s (imaginary) demonstration of African capacity and empowerment through Afrofuturism through its representation of African culture, identity, language, technology, and, not least, Africanheroism and courage. Afrofuturism assisted these students in recognizing the need to disrupt the unequal power relations that exist in contemporary society, and that have been internalized by Africans, more specifically those of gender inequity and the political and epistemic ideologies that work against the freedom of individuals in experiencing development.