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African sci-fi features all manner of weird and outlandish things, from crime-fighting robots to technological dystopias. But could they be closer to predicting the future than they realize?
It's an interesting read, but none of the topics discussed in this particular article struck me as uniquely African, except maybe the 'Society awash in useless tech but lacking in basic meds' and the urine powered generator. What I would love to hear more of is the thought process behind Western Sci-Fi being self-absorbed. The insular part I sort of understand.
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Even then those kinds of topics are not that hard to find in dystopian genres like cyberpunk. What will be valuable, I think, is not so much the topics themselves (and how novel they may or may not be) but rather how their culture experiences and the world around them will shape their approach to dealing with these topics. There is a lot of potential for new ways of viewing the fictional words, and that's always a worthwhile thing.
c'mon, now. That said, both Lauren Beukes and Nnedi Okorafor are available on Audible. I will be checking them out.the first internet search engine in the 1978 BBC radio comedy The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
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I'm really glad you're checking out those authors. Nnedi Okorafor is one of my favorites. Who Fears Death was a rollercoaster of emotions. Make sure you check out Kabu Kabu as well; she's just as good with short fiction. The Nigerian influences are more obvious too.