Saturday, November 12, 2005

octavia butler

When I started this blog I called it *Planet* Grenada to try to evoke Afro-futurism as a theme. In reality, I've only touched on the subject occasionally. So I figure that now would be a good time to mention it again.

Recently, on Democracy NOW! there was an interview with Octavia Butler on Race, Global Warming and Religion. The interview deals with Butler's new book Fledgling about a Black female vampire and also touches on the two books Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents which are about a near-future world where ecological problems and certain other factors have led to a much more brutal and violent society. One of the few bright signs of hope in this future world is a particular woman with a unique gift for empathy. On top of that, her journal, a collection of revelations and insights she makes for herself at first, becomes the scripture for a new religious movement which helps to bring new life to a crumbling world.


Some excerpts:
Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears. To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool. To be led by a thief is to offer up your most precious treasures to be stolen. To be led by a liar is to ask to be lied to. To be led by a tyrant is to sell yourself and those you love into slavery.

and
Beware, all too often we say what we hear others say. We think what we are told that we think. We see what we are permitted to see. Worse, we see what we are told that we see. Repetition and pride are the keys to this. To hear and to see even an obvious lie again and again and again, maybe to say it almost by reflex, and then to defend it because we have said it, and at last to embrace it because we've defended it.


Good advice in any world.

6 comments:

DA said...

Very interesting.

I remember reading an anthology of African sci-fi a while back, I don't know if it related to afro futurism or not. It had stories though, like the Yoruba having their restored culture on another planet and anyone who didn't want to live that lifestyle had to depart their society for the stars since they never wanted to be culturally assimilated again. Stuff like that.

Abdul-Halim V. said...

I'm actually a big nerd. I entered a contest once for Star Trek fanfiction. The story I submitted more or less strung together a whole series of Star Trek references, related to race, ethnicity and culture.

It was called "Infinite Diversity". (The Vulcan philosophy is sometimes summed up as "Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combination). There are different ways to sum it up.

Basically it is about an alternate timeline where the (People's Galactic) Federation is more culturally rich and diverse than in the standard timeline. Most humans are non-white (which is the status quo), first contact was with the Klingons rather than the Vulcans, there is no prime directivem etc.

So someone from this other universe (a Black Hatian, Captain Picard) crosses over to the standard Star Trek universe and from his perspective it might as well be the evil-spock-with-a-beard mirror universe.

Sharks said...

can i use part of this post at my blog?!...i'll refer to u n' ur blog...it's just that it's ALL AMAZINGLY TRUE....n' i just love it....

Abdul-Halim V. said...

Sure Sharks, be my guest

Anonymous said...

There is an anthology of Af/Am Sci Fi called Dark Matter. It is superb. We've been talking a little about Butler's work--specially Dawn--on the Beyond Forum of progressiveislam.org. Its a forum for discussing Sci Fi and religion. It's kind of slow there, but if you are into it, join us and who knows it might get lively.

Dawn was first, I assigned it for a class. I am hooked on her stuff now and plan on reading through them from hear on out.

Abdul-Halim V. said...

Yeah, I have Dark Matter as well but I haven't finished it. They have an interesting range of authors represented, Derrick Bell, DuBois, and Ishmael Reed for instance. I certainly wouldn't have expected any of them to write "science fiction".

I also have Kindred by OCtavia Butler on my reading list. Especially after reading the two "Parable" books.