This panel started off introducing the panelists and the great work they have done with their writing in the science fiction genre.
Geoff Ryman asked the panelists how they have responded to the common issues surrounding the genre such as, “Africans don’t write science fiction”, “What are you doing teaching our children witchcraft?” and more.
Temi Oh explained that science fiction is a way of expressing our present lives through a different lens and so, is not specific to just one race.
Author of the widely acclaimed and best-selling novel The Yearning, Mohale Mashigo, reminded us that African stories have always had an element of fantasy to them. Critiquing Africans in this genre is fairly recent, she continued, and only suggests their bias with “…the Africans finally discovered this”.
Nigerian American author of African-based science fiction, fantasy and magical realism for children and adults, Nnedi Okorafor, answered the question of having the agency to promote curiosity through her books about multiple African practices. She tells us how science fiction and fantasy is rooted in African dialogue, it is interested in the future but it’s also interested in the present and where we go from there.
The panel ended with answering questions debunking the term ‘Afro-futurism’ used in describing African writers in this genre, the relation of science fiction to deep culture, questioned beliefs and some of the techniques and challenges of writing speculative science fiction and fantasy.