How to Put Black into Speculative Fiction

[Stafford Battle]

What Makes Science Fiction and Fantasy Afrocentric?

The publishing world has seen the swelling growth and profitability of Black romance and urban novels. Booksellers and public libraries are stocking their shelves with publications that offer gritty tales of the dark mean streets or outrageous Black gangsters. But there is another wave on the horizon; another genre that may soon rival the expensive cars, dangerous pimps and desperate ex-cons; a rising tide of titles that offer hi-tech space ships, cunning barbarians, and savvy time travelers featuring African Americans characters in Black sci-fi and fantasy.

Black Science Fiction (or Afrofuturism) as well as “Sword-and-Soul” loosely can be defined as an intellectual and cultural movement that explores the African American relationship with new technology, musings of the future, and heroic fantasies.

Sci-fi and its cousins featuring characters of Caucasian background have been around since Jules Verne and H. G. Wells in the 1800s. But today what defines “Black” sci-fi? It is more than simply putting a dark tan on Flash Gordon or giving Superman kinky hair. In my humble opinion (IMHO), before any fantasy, sci-fi, or other speculative fiction story can be classified as Black or African American oriented it must meet at least three of the following five conditions:

1) The author should be of African heritage
2) The main character should be Black
3) The setting should be in Africa or Harlem
4) Historical or current social conditions should be unique to people of color
5) The narrative or dialogue should resonant with “Blackness”

The Author Should be of African Heritage

An obvious indicator that a sci-fi novel truly may be Afrocentric is if its author is Black. Samuel Delany, Charles Saunders, Octavia Butler, Steven Barnes and many others are Black authors who write afrocentric sci-fi. Yet, all good writers have the ability to offer stories told from a variety of viewpoints. Delany, winner of the Nebula Award for 1966 and 1967, offers stories where skin color is not an issue and is not even mentioned. In Butler’s Xenogenesis Series, aliens are the main characters with only an occasional appearance of a person of color. Conversely, Mike Resnick a white author who has won 5 Hugo awards, creates well crafted sci-fi tales about Africa and people of African descent in Kirinyaga: A Fable of Utopia and Ivory: A Legend of Past and Future.


Main Character

African American readers yearn for strong Black characters in their sci-fi and fantasy literature; male or female, hero or villain. On the web at the Black Science Fiction Society ( http://www.Blacksciencefictionsociety.com ) or the Black Author Showcase (www.Blackauthors.ning.com ) bloggers complain of not having enough Black Superheroes. Personally, I’d rather see more Black villains; more would-be-world-conquerors, psychotic punishers seeking bloody revenge, and mad geniuses constructing grandiose schemes of self-gratification. Without the Joker, Batman would be a sad vigilante chasing purse snatchers in dark alleys. Strong Black sci-fi villains, give us even stronger Black heroes and noteworthy, award-winning authors. My vote for the strongest Black villain to date would be Doro in Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed and Mind of My Mind.

The Setting: Africa or Harlem

Most Sword-and-Soul is set in Africa or an analogue of an Africa-like place on a different planet or other reality. Harlem, New York, or a similar urban neighborhood can be a proper geographic location for Black sci-fi. George Schuyler’s Black Empire uses Harlem and Africa as important backdrops. These locales allow characters to interact with people of color and be closely involved with the problems and solutions at the street or village level. Of course, Black people inhabit every corner of the planet, but its where Black communities have traditionally endured and prospered that makes this type of setting an important element in Black Sci-Fi. It is impractical, however, for a novel to include only one setting, but at the very least, the main characters should travel and have some significant interaction in Africa or in an urban community.


Historical or Social Conditions Unique to People of Color

Until around the 18th Century, slavery was not inflicted upon a person solely because of color or race. Anyone who lost a war or the favor of the king or chief could be tossed into slavery. However, in America, the heartless bondage of human beings became an uniquely Afrocentric institution. Jim Crow and Civil Rights issues also most adversely affected African Americans. Using time-travel, Butler’s Kindred was an illuminating example of the effects of slavery on Black people, past and present. Furthermore, African Americans have a special influence on world culture but not just limited to music (blues, jazz or hip hop) and sports (basketball, boxing); for instance, Black soldiers faced unique circumstances on the homefront and on the battlefield. Black fiction should employ a variety of special circumstances in a story.

Narrative and Dialogue

Thank the lucky stars, that most first-rate, modern writers don’t over populate their work with slang, jargon, or southern dialect that makes reading tedious: “You wants to keep 'way fum de water as much as you kin, en don't run no resk, 'kase it's down in de bills dat you's gwyne to git hung.” – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Yet, good writers can subtly select the right words and context to let readers know that a Black character is speaking. The very best writers can create characters who change their patterns of speech depending upon to whom the characters are communicating. Moreover, the language and description of events in a Black speculative work must be “hip” as well as reflect the collective mind of the Black diaspora.

Summary

This assessment of what makes fiction “really” Black is by no means a rigorous dissertation nor critical analysis of the conditions that must occur to guarantee the ethnicity of a literary work because there are so many exceptions to the rules. Consider these thoughts to be general guidelines to make the promotion of Black Sci-fi and Fantasy more profitable.


About the Writer:

Stafford L. Battle is the author of Insane Messiah (22nd Century Press, 2009); Afrocyberspace:1000+ Websites That Will Enrich Your World (22nd Century Press, 2009); The African American Resource Guide to the Internet and Online Services (McGraw-Hill, 1996). According to Mr. Battle, his sci-fi novel Insane Messiah best satisfies the following conditions. 1) The author is an African American; 2) The main characters are Black, and 3) Africa is a primary setting in the book.


Copyright 2009, Stafford Battle & 22nd Century Press, LLC

[Stafford Battle]

Be sure to check out http://www.blacksciencefictionsociety.com/. Get invovled and start writing. I will be offering a e-version of my book soon (take some ideas from it and run with it).

[oronde ash]

i came across George Schuyler’s Black Empire in college an loved the stories. as a newbie to black speculative fiction what are the primers? give me the three cannons to start out with or your fav 5.

[Stafford Battle]

There may be an e-version soon. Check with Diane. Thanks for your comments.

[PurpleZoe]

Peace *_^

A Pleasure.
Is there an e-version of your book for sale
(I'm trying to cut down on print books and stock my e-collection)?
If there is, where can I find it?

Thankyou for everything
This is definitely what the web should be used for.

Shine on
-PZ

[Stafford Battle]

Thanks for your response! This is what the web should be about. We must spread the word and engage like-minded readers and writers to support and promote our works. I am a member of the SOCIETY and post blogs there. As journalist, I endeavor to submit articles and information about Black SF (speculative fiction) to widely read forums in the mainstream and specialized markets. My book, "AFROCyberspace: 1000+ Websites That Will Enrich Your World" mentions ECBACC.COM and others. I am always grateful to hear from anyone who has knowledge of resources important to us.

Again, Thanks.

[PurpleZoe]

Peace ^_^

Blacksciencefictionsociety.com launched a store to sell Black speculative fiction, and is championing Black Sci-fi/Fantasy/Experimental within the community. Founder of Sword and Soul Charles Saunders is a member there, as are Nnedi Okorafor, and Minister Faust. It's a lovely family of spec authors/media creators.
Purple Magazine (purplemag.com) publishes Modern Myth (Speculative fiction) for people of color in each issue and through the ConsciousInk movement on the mag's website. Also, sites like coloronline.blogspot.com and Blackeyedsusan.blogspot.com feature speculative books by authors of color that would normally be hard to find.

Also, very important to mention: Ecbacc.com holds a convention every year for Black comic artists/authors/creators. It places a heavy emphasis on speculative fiction. They wer eof the first to rise up and make sure we had an outlet for our speculative works. I believe they're in their 7th year. They honored Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura- Star Trek) last year. She was a lovely speaker.

There are great resources out there for us to spread the word about.
If you know of any others I would love extend them to the creatives in the network. Whether or not the mainstream pays mind to our speculative culture, it's important we know where to find it.

Shine on
-PZ