The Rise of the Afrofuturistic Novel: the Intersection of Science Fiction and African Environmentalism in Nnedi Okorafor’S Lagoon

The Rise of the Afrofuturistic Novel: The Intersection of Science Fiction and African Environmentalism in Nnedi Okorafor’s Lagoon Andrea Serrano Serrano © Andrea Serrano Serrano, 2020 Abstract: Lagoon (2014) by Nnedi Okorafor is an Afrofuturistic science fiction novel which fuses cyberculture, race issues, ecologism, and alien invasions. When Ayodele, an extra-terrestrial be- ing, lands on planet Earth, Anthony, Agu and Adaora will be forced to cooperate towards the goal of building a postpetroleum, more democratic and egalitarian Nigeria. Science fiction works as a vehicle for environmental critique. Lagoon engages in an ecocritical debate, as it denounces an- thropocentric attitudes that permeate cultural representations, animal exploitation and the petro- state of Nigeria. Afrofuturism and postcolonial ecocriticism interact in Lagoon, an example of an- ticolonial environmentalism exposing the dangers of pollution in the Niger Delta region. Okora- for’s work also decentres the human subject, as it includes animal and spiritual narrators as well as humanoid beings. Keywords: Lagoon, Nnedi Okorafor, ecocriticism, postcolonial literature, Afrofuturism, science fiction by black authors Lagoon (2014) written by Nnedi Okorafor from outer space in order to build a utopi- (a Nigerian-American author born in an, post-petroleum Nigeria. 1974 who currently lives in New York) is The aim of this article is to explore an Afrofuturistic novel and a rich and why non-mimetic postcolonial literature complex text where science fiction meets is still quite unknown and marginalized African folklore and horror intertwines in literary studies and by readers. African with environmental concerns. The three or Afro-diasporic writers are only now be- protagonists—Adaora, Agu and Antho- ginning to gain popularity and success ny—embark on an adventure that will re- amongst the general public. However, sci- quire them to save the polluted coast of ence fiction is still a predominantly white Lagos and cooperate with the visitors Western genre and non-Western people REVISTA HÉLICE: Volumen VI, n.º 2 39 OTOÑO-INVIERNO 2020-2021 REFLEXIONES The Rise of the Afrofuturistic Novel: The Intersection of Science Fiction and African Environmentalism in Nnedi Okorafor’s Lagoon may be often othered and reduced to a studies and ecocriticism is essential to stereotype in these works. It is imperative read it. to decolonize fantasy literature and this is The following analysis is divided into why black writers are beginning to trans- three main sections. Firstly, I focus on the form the rigid parameters of speculative main controversies regarding black sci- fiction by creating literary works that are ence fiction and postcolonial ecocriticism. more inclusive and diverse. Afrofuturism Secondly, I show how Lagoon elaborates a is the flourishing movement that recon- critique of petro-culture in Nigeria and siders the way African peoples have been the country’s reliance on oil, considering depicted in mainstream science fiction the alternatives and the solutions for the works, while promoting content created future that this text presents. Finally, the by black artists. last sections deal with the deconstruction Another objective of this article is to of anthropocentrism, as this novel cele- analyse how environmental concerns are brates non-human forms of life—and this tackled from a non-Western perspective includes animals, the air, the soil and in this novel. Ecological devastation, pol- even aliens. lution and droughts are often the conse- quence of centuries of colonialism in the Global South. I study here how Lagoon 1. The Emergence of Black Science portrays a powerful image of the damage Fiction inflicted on the communities and the ma- rine ecosystems of the Niger Delta, while 1.1. Afrofuturism at the same time paying attention to how it articulates a critique of the neo-colonial Lagoon is an Afrofuturistic novel that re- dynamics that are still perpetuated in the volves around the idea of an alien invasion current capitalist world order. Ecocriti- in Nigeria. Mark Derry coined the word cism but also Braidotti’s post-humanism “AfroFuturism” in an essay written in 1993 constitute the theoretical framework of (Nelson, 2018: 2635) and this refers to a this article, which also addresses how an- cultural movement that explores the inter- thropocentric values and human excep- sections between race, speculative fiction, tionalism are revisited and interrogated blackness, technology and the future. in the novel. Ytasha Womack states that it is more than The hypothesis I defend here is that just a literary current: Afrofuturism is a science fiction can be used as a valid vehi- political movement, a cultural revolution cle for an environmental critique, as that impregnates all sorts of artistic mani- Okorafor does. The tropes of speculative festations and it aims to “redefine culture fiction serve to articulate a counterhege- and notions of blackness for today and the monic discourse that questions anthropo- future” (2013: 9). Moreover, Womack em- centric values, the commodification of an- phasises the heterogeneous nature of the imal life, and Nigeria’s utter dependence movement, since it “combines elements of on oil (arguably, one of the consequences science fiction, historical fiction, specula- of neo-colonialism). Lagoon seeks to re- tive fiction, fantasy, Afrocentricity, and valorise the human-nature relationship magic realism with non-Western beliefs” within the context of a technological soci- (2013: 9). Hence, it is “a total reenvisioning ety which is why bearing in mind the in- of the past and speculation of the future tersection of science fiction, postcolonial rife with cultural critiques” (9). REVISTA HÉLICE: Volumen VI, n.º 2 40 OTOÑO-INVIERNO 2020-2021 REFLEXIONES The Rise of the Afrofuturistic Novel: The Intersection of Science Fiction and African Environmentalism in Nnedi Okorafor’s Lagoon Another aspect Womack highlights is sues of race, such as Richard Morgan in the stereotyped presence of black people his novel Black Man (2008). in mainstream works of speculative fic- Burnett discusses how the colonial tion. This is probably due to the miscon- gaze is present in science fiction as well. ception that Africans or African Ameri- This scholar claims that these narratives cans dislike science fiction, that it is only “often engage in the othering of indige- successful in North America, Europe and nous people to the point where the latter Australia, and that there is no such thing become nonhuman” (2015: 134). Thus, na- as an African geek culture. Bryce provides tives are presented as exotic, opposed, an illustrative example: when author remote and alien (quite literally). Moreo- Nick Wood tried to publish his novel The ver, it is not unusual to find that even Stone Chameleons in South Africa, the when such novels attempt to critique co- publisher replied that “black people don’t lonialism, they promote in fact “the prob- read science fiction” (“South African SF”, lematic assumptions underlying the colo- 2012, cited in Bryce, 2019: 3). According- nial project” (Burnett, 2015: 134). Burnett ly, there are few examples of black pro- mentions The War of the Worlds (1897) as tagonists in canonical science fiction films an example of this (2015: 134), as H. G. or novels and, whenever they appear, Wells supported the eugenics movement their depiction tends to be simplistic and and some readings of the text suggest he full of clichés. Womack mentions “the si- might be in fact defending these beliefs. lent, mystical type” (2013: 7) or the “scary These issues are only a few of the con- witch doctor” (2013: 7); these fictional fig- troversies the genre of science fiction pre- ures are closely related to African and pa- sents: it often was a predominantly white, gan mythology, the unknown, witchcraft, middle-class, male, straight narrative occultism and magic (some of these fig- genre rather than a platform for counter- ures certainly resemble shamans). It is hegemonic discourse (Burnett, 2015: 137). deeply problematic that even in fantasy However, Afrofuturist writers are chang- literature—a genre in which everything is ing these preconceived notions and they possible, where “cuddly space animals, are exploring the new realities of a post- talking apes, and time machines” (Wom- colonial—or neo-colonial—situation in the ack, 2013: 7) are acceptable—the reader- African countries in their works. They are ship cannot bear the idea of “a person of reversing preconceptions about Africa and non-Euro descent a hundred years into its peoples: they want to reintegrate black the future” (7). These examples show that people into the discussion of modern sci- non-realist fiction can also be embedded ence, technological advances and cyber- in colonial patterns of thought and that it culture (Womack, 2013: 17). Therefore, can reproduce the same racial stereotypes writers such as Okorafor are contributing as any other narrative genre. However, it to the diversification of this literary genre needs to be acknowledged that modern by including varied characters (social out- science fiction is more diverse and there casts, women, members of the LGBT+ are white authors, such as Ursula K. Le community) and engaging in debates Guin, who have introduced fully devel- about the role of black people when it oped black characters that are not mere comes to scientific advances and the fu- archetypes—Genli Ai in The Left Hand of ture. For instance, the protagonist

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