According to Jonathan Dotse (2016), because digital technologies have become an integral feature of many people’s lives across Africa, they not only figure into one’s sense of identity, but also one’s imaginings of possible futures. African creatives frequently incorporate technological subjects and processes in their speculative works to comment on the world as they see it, and as they would like to see it. In moving toward an African-oriented future, Felwine Sarr (2019) asserts that Africans must use the “digital revolution,” together with traditional models and systems, to their advantage. From Leti Art’s digital comics and games that are based on African folktales to Wanuri Kahiu’s combination of Kikuyu mythological aspects and a techno-dictatorship in her film Pumzi to Yatreda’s NFTs that are inspired by African legends and folk styles, African creatives exercise a variety of approaches to using technology as subject and source alongside “traditional” modes, models, and systems. Their production underscores the advantages and disadvantages of digital technologies and the roles they may potentially play in the yet to come. This panel seeks papers on speculative expression from diverse disciplines that explore how and why African creatives meld technology and tradition in their production, looking back as they move forward.
Please email kcleveland@gsu.edu with a presentation title, 250-word abstract, author contact information, and affiliation by March 7, 2025.
