# Afro-Futurism **URL:** **By** Paul Matzko **Published:** March 5, 2020 --- The stories we tell about the future can create the future. Image Credit: [Zipline](https://flyzipline.com/how-it-works/) If you watched the 2018 blockbuster _Black Panther_, then you’ve encountered a genre known as Afro-Futurism, in which predominately African-American authors use science fiction to explore black liberation in a technologically advanced future. These are the kinds of stories that spark the creative energy of the next generation of engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. For this episode, we interview Dr. Moradewun Adejunmobi about Afro-Futurism as well as specifically African science fiction and what they signal about Africa’s place in visions of the future. Then we talk to Justin Hamilton from Zipline, a drone startup in Africa that is making science fiction into science fact. What is the power of science fiction? What is Afrofuturism? ## Further Reading: [Black (s) to the Future](http://blackstothefuture.com/en/mark-dery-14-portrait/), Mark Derry [It’s Not Just Black Panther. Afrofuturism Is Having a Moment](https://time.com/5246675/black-panther-afrofuturism/), written by Alex Fitzpatrick [The Afrofuturism Behind ‘Black Panther’](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/24/opinion/afrofuturism-behind-black-panther.html), written by Brent Staples [Zipline Company](https://flyzipline.com/) [How drones are delivering lifesaving medical supplies in Rwanda](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-drones-are-delivering-lifesaving-medical-supplies-in-rwanda), PBS News Hour ## Related Content: [The Future of Money](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/free-thoughts/the-future-of-money-with-diego-zuluaga), Building Tomorrow Podcast [Cryptocurrency vs. Censorship](https://www.libertarianism.org/podcasts/building-tomorrow/cryptocurrency-vs-censorship), Building Tomorrow Podcast [Science Fiction, Science, and Capitalism](https://www.libertarianism.org/essays/science-fiction-science-capitalism), written by Karren Edwards