The Sounds of Afrofuturism

Elena Wolay and Erik Steinskog presented Afrofuturism in words and sounds
Elena Smon Wolay is a journalist, DJ, curator, record collector and founder of Jazz Är Farligt (Jazz Is Dangerous), a community for experimental music. Erik Steinskog is a musicologist from Copenhagen university. Smon Wolay and Steinskog introduced the music genre of Afrofuturism by presenting Sun Ra as the epitome of Afrofuturism. They played a clip from the Sun Ra movie "Space is the Place" (1974) as well as sound illustrations from artists remixing Sun Ra's work for the future. Smon Wolay talked about her history with Afrofuturism and about how it can be used as a tool for survival and thriving in a racist society. Steinskog presented his new book ”Afrofuturism and Black Sound Studies: Culture, Technology, and Things to Come” and talked about how Afrofuturistic music can be used in a science fiction like manner, and how music can establish understandings of the future.

The seminar was open to the public and free of charge