In celebration of Black History Month, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette will host “Resonance and Groove: Afrofuturism in the U.S. South,” a three-day symposium. The symposium will be from Wednesday, Feb. 19, to Friday, Feb. 21. Each day will have different events, each event exploring Afrofuturist thoughts in southern music, literature and folklore.
There will be multiple events held in different venues on the University’s campus and in Downtown Lafayette. Most events will be free to the public with no required registration. On Wednesday, from 6 to 8 p.m., there will be the opening reception and Creole jam at Masion Freetown, a Black history museum downtown.
On Thursday, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., there will be a panel discussion with scholars Dr. Constance Bailey, Dr. Langston Collin Wilkins and artist Jake Blount at the University’s Alumni Center. They will discuss the foundations of Afrofuturism, its symbolism in southern hip-hop and its innovations in funk and folk music. From 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., lunch will be provided by Black Café.
After lunch, poet Bernardo Wade and writer Desiree Evans will share their work during fiction readings. After the readings, Evans will also be signing her young-adult bestseller, “The Black Girl Survives in This One: Horror Stories.” To finish off Thursday, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Blount and his band will perform at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. Students get in free with their university ID and $20 for other attendees.
On Friday, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Blount will host a fiddle workshop in Angelle Hall. From 1 to 2:30 p.m., Wade will be hosting a poetry workshop at the Hilliard Art Museum.
Bailey, an assistant professor of African American Literature and Folklore at Georgia State University (GSU), said Afrofuturism is a cultural and aesthetic movement that includes scientific themes, themes of fantasy, elements of Black history and culture that people see reflected across literature, music and art.
“Afrofuturism is, it’s one of those terms that is, everybody feels like they know what it is, but, but at the same time, people don’t really know what it is, and part of that is because it’s a really, really broad term,” Bailey said.
When asked why she thought it was important to explore Afrofuturist themes, Bailey said, the ideas of technology, social advancements and other futuristic elements, can show Black people what is possible.
“This is a forward looking movement that provides, in some cases, images of Black prosperity or just Black possibility, like, here are the things […] that are possible,” she said.
Bailey described how there has been a lot more growth in Afrofuturist representation from when she started researching those themes 15 years ago, but said there is still a long way to go.
To Bailey, the success of Janelle Monae’s visual album “Dirty Computer” and Marvel’s “Black Panther” provide strong examples of the success of Afrofuturist themes and make the way for more representations.
“I think the beauty of something like the musical success of a “Dirty Computer” or the box office success of “Black Panther” in a way, is a validation of sorts for people who have money and who care about making money. And so I think that we will continue to see more representations.”
Along with being an assistant professor, Bailey mentors students in other programs, including anthropology and GSU’s Heritage Preservation Program. She is an affiliate faculty with the africana studies department and the women’s gender and sexuality studies institute. She is working on several projects and a manuscript currently titled, “The Black Folktastic: Black Speculation and the Sankofa Aesthetic.”
She is also actively involved in research in addition to her teaching. According to Bailey’s website, her research focuses on Black women’s comedy and humor, Black speculative fiction and African American folklore and oral traditions.
Her favorite category of folklore is material folklore. This category includes items like quilts, pottery and textiles. Another favorite of hers is oral folklore, which includes folk humor and proverbs. Bailey said she is very excited for the symposium and hopes to put together a playlist that would include sounds that are associated with Afrofuturism and Black music for it.