Afrofuturism is a term coined in the early ’90s to describe a cultural/artistic concept that uses futuristic, science fiction-like elements (among other devices) to explore and critique African-American issues and ideals from the past up through present times. Afrofuturistic approaches can be found in literature and a variety of forms of artistic expression, including in music, where artists from Sun Ra to Parliament-Funkadelic to Janelle Monáe are cited as some of the main practitioners.
This week’s “Black to the Future” event will be a discussion and exploration of Afrofuturistism in music, led by internationally renowned Cincinnati musician Napoleon Maddox (frontman of the acclaimed Jazz/Hip Hop group IsWhat?!) and Mildred Fallen, a writer (and CityBeat contributor) who also hosts the radio show Deeper than Atlantis: Diggin’ In Da Crates on Soul Public Radio.
7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 27. Free. Sweet Sistah Splash, 1218 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine, shopsweetsistahsplash.com.
This article appears in Jan 14-20, 2015.