Negus Rising

Black Man of the Niger

[wheneverwhereverwhateverrr]

Joshua Mays

8 Afrofuturist Artists You Need To Follow Right Now

[darkartsgallery]

Visual Artist AiRich

[gracelynneart]

By : Grace Lynne

[hybridchic]

INTERVIEW: THE STUDIO MUSEUM HARLEM

STORY BY TANEKEYA WORD

The artistic cultural production and cultural theory that is Afrofuturism has long used the fantastical and Science Fiction elements of robotics and aliens, to solve the inequality of colonialism by transcending the social limitations of Black Diasporic life in Western society. Although appearing cosmically perfect,  it cannot be denied that Afrofuturism’s history is far from utopic: the trauma of the African transatlantic slave trade, W.E.B Du Bois’ emphatic theory of double-consciousness, Zora Neale Hurston’s iconic folklore depicting humor amidst trauma, Sun Ra’s militant blaxploitation music and imagery, Octavia Butler’s equivocal writings on outsider aesthetics, and lets not forget thesouthernplayalisticcadillacfunkymusic of OutKast. Resilient, AfroFuturists have owned, analyzed, deconstructed, and re-coded their joy and pain, and those of their ancestors, to re-imagine the African Diasporian future—free  from Western social stigmas.

For decades, Afrofuturism was publicly linked to literature and music; and yet recently, a courtship has begun with fine art. On November 14th The Studio Museum in Harlem took the helm and debuted its Afrofuturist exhibition, “The Shadows Took Shape.“ We at Saint Heron are no strangers to Afrofuturism as emerging and Saint Heron featured artists, Kelela, BCKingdom, Sampha, have strains of Afrofuturist aesthetics coded within their work, so it was a pleasure to speak with the curators, Naima J. Smith and Zoe Whitley, on Afrofuturist activism, the theme of flight throughout African American history, and accidental Afrofuturists. Set amidst the backdrop of a sensitive and rich history, like a griot “The Shadows Took Shape“ exhibition and the Saint Heron interview navigates through rough terrain to tell an ever-evolving  story of a new Black frontier.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW AT SAINTHERON.COM

Photo: Robert Pruitt, “Untitled 3″

[darkartsgallery]

[communityfutureslab]

#DIYTimeTravel #Zine + workshop on practical methods of #afrofuturistic time travel and #quantum time capsules #bqf | photo by jntern @harpyholiday

[osavessos]

afrofuturismo vol 2

https://www.mixcloud.com/darwinmarinho/afrofuturismo-vol-2/

[nyadiff]

Tango Negro:The African Roots of Tango (2013)

http://www.tangonegrofilm.com

Keep reading

[weareallafricans]

Angolan

Itskuakua|tumblr

[weareallafricans]

[divinessence7]

#royalty #headwrap #culture #melanin #brownskin #blackwoman #blackpride #blackpower #blackart

[sankofa-visionz]

Please support my campaign. I am working on “going back to Africa” with the aim of re-connecting directly with my Ancestral roots. This is the final research phase as part of The Bible With Complexion (TBWC) family research project which began in 1988. Thank you for your consideration! https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sankofa-repatriation-project/x/14574448#/

[niger-valley-mvmnt]

[colleenrants]

Timbuktu, once the seat of the wealthy Mali Empire, is now impoverished and coping with a bitter civil war. Despite this, the utterly unique architecture remains and many of the citizens fiercely guard the cultural and intellectual remains of their once thriving city.

[peashooter85]

The Real Lion King — The Epic of Sundiata

Sundiata Keita was a prince of the Mandinka people born around the early 13th century, son of the king Nare Maghann Konate.  According to the legend, Sundiata was born crippled, a handicap Sundiata struggled to overcome throughout his childhood.  When someone once insulted his mother, it was said that he miraculously stood up and walked over to him, threatening to rearrange his face if he didn’t apologize.  Sundiata was raised to be a warrior and a hunter.  He was such a great hunter that he was given the title “simbo”, meaning “master of the bush”.

When Sundiata’s father died, the throne was inherited by his older brother, who was a weak ruler.  Suddenly the Mandinka Kingdom was invaded by an evil warlord and dark sorcerer Suomoaro, who conquered the country, executed Sundiata’s family, and enslaved the Mandinka people.  Sundiata was forced to flee, but he pledged that one day he would return and take back his kingdom.  Over the next several years, Sundiata would travel across West Africa, visiting every kingdom and tribe along the way.  After several years, Sundiata was able to build a union of 16 tribes and a grand army with the purpose of destroying Suomoaro’s reign and retaking the Mandinka kingdom. 

The forces of Sundiata and Suomoaro fought five legendary battles, the last being the Battle of Kirina in the year 1235.  Sundiata and Suomaoro met in personal combat, and Sundiata managed to shoot Suomaoro with an arrow fletched with the feathers of a rooster, the only weapon that Suomaoro was vulnerable to according to the legend.  Suomaoro was gravely wounded, but managed to escape into the wilderness never to be seen again.  His army quickly disbanded shortly afterwards.

Victorious against the evil sorcerer Suomaoro, Sundiata reclaimed the Mandinka throne, taking the title Musa (King of Kings).  The coalition he founded would serve as the foundation of the Mali Empire, which dominated West Africa for the next three centuries. 

[black-history]

Mansa Munsa in the Catalan Atlas of 1375:

The ruler who preceded me did not believe that it was impossible to reach the extremity of the ocean that 

encircles the earth (meaning the Atlantic). He wanted to reach that (end) and was determined to pursue his 

plan. So he equipped two hundred boats full of men, and many others full of gold, water and provisions 

sufficient for several years. He ordered the captain not to return until they had reached the other end of the 

ocean, or until he had exhausted the provisions and water. So they set out on their journey. They were absent 

for a long period, and, at last just one boat returned. When questioned the captain replied: ‘O Prince, we 

navigated for a long period, until we saw in the midst of the ocean a great river which flowing massively. My 

boat was the last one; others were ahead of me, and they were drowned in the great whirlpool and never came 

out again. I sailed back to escape this current.’ But the Sultan would not believe him. He ordered two 

thousand boats to be equipped for him and his men, and one thousand more for water and provisions. Then he 

conferred the regency on me for the term of his absence, and departed with his men, never to return nor to give 

a sign of life.

—Mansa Musa

From Wikipedia

[appliedgenetics-deactivated2018]

King Mansa Musa of Mali next to the Sankore Madrasah