Nnedi Okorafor: Sci-fi stories that imagine a future Africa | TED

"My science fiction has different ancestors -- African ones," says writer Nnedi Okorafor. In between excerpts from her "Binti" series and her novel "Lagoon," Okorafor discusses the inspiration and roots of her work -- and how she opens strange doors through her Afrofuturist writing.

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[sunnydelight]

The comments here are awful. This video was so entertaining, positive, powerful. Shame on those who would like to suppress all things different from what they know. I bet if any of the haters here watched this video until the end they would enjoy it - it's full of awesomeness and void of any "complaining". In any case, the haters' existence proves how needed this platform is for people of all backgrounds to speak up.

[jonatanayala]

Okorafor is one of the greatest writers walking this planet right now. Binti and Binti: Home. Read that.

[ThomasPrikowitsch]

bought the Binti audiobook. i get the octopus analogy know. 30 Minutes well spent so far.
well written sifi, with a pinch of cultural difference. i now understand what is missing in white western sifi for her.

[stoptouchingmyhair]

So a person who happens to be white male or female can write a story with characters they identify with and everything is okay. But when an African woman does the same, its bad and tasteless. OF COURSE a persons' main character will reflect who they are or wish they could be! That is the beauty and power of a story! Just enjoy it and take in the adventure!

[supanovaninja]

'Who fears death', 'Lagoon', 'Kabu-kabu'. You need to read these books to understand the kind of revolution African-futurism will bring. She is simply amazing.

[blackloveissimplybeautiful]

My science fiction had different ancestors. African ones 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾. I love how she evolved past the limited definition of her work as Afrofuturism to a more encompassing and culturally grounded Africanfuturism coined by her.

[GeoffreyCavalier]

Science fiction gets boring when you see the same ideas over and over again. Many of the best stories introduce new ideas, but that is only part of it. I would love to see any culture start producing "what if" stories and hope this video inspires many people who would otherwise not have pursued the path of science fiction writing. It would create all new content that would awe the world.

[warrenwb]

I love the Binti series. I'm on the final book. I plan on reading all of her books. I'm so happy she is getting a show on HBO based on her book Who Fears Death. I hope she turns Binti into a series.

[jureed]

I just discovered this author and I am so excited to read all her books 📚 i love sci fi and all things African so this is the perfect mash-up to get me back into book reading instead of always staring at a screen all day.

[ДарьяСверкунова-чи]

I am falling in love with the beautiful idea of Afrofuturism. Not only does it evoke incredibly spectacular images, but also contributes to our understanding of the world, of its historical foundations and future perspectives.

[ClintEPereira]

Has there been a TED Talk on YouTube comments?

[eddierocksteady]

Nnedi's powerful presentation.
Thank you!

[rocketpoweredunicorn]

i am reading Who Fears Death now by Nnedi Okorafor, it’s captivating

[tmz]

An intriguing topic likely to become more mainstream. It's been easy to dismiss Africa and its future because it has been easy to ignore its history. Today, nearly a quarter of the world's children is African which means the future is increasingly African. Representation in sci-fi is important, because you need to see yourself in the future to be part of the future. See UN global population forecast for 2050 and 2100, and it'll make more sense.

[SpiriTm]

Wondering why half the people in the comments even watched the video, just to hate on it. That's the problem, if you dont like it dont watch it, others do and dont need to hear all the negative xenophobic comments.

[leafdragon]

Any of these books in a tv show or anime format? The Binti series sounds like it would be a great anime series.

[Knityourheartout]

She opened strange doors that we'd never close again.

[Kwisten]

I had Nnedi on my reading list for years, and finally delved in about a month ago. Since then I've devoured the Binti Trilogy, Nsibidi Series, Who Fears Death, and am now on The Book of Phoenix. It's so exciting to discover such a talented current author. Some of my previous scifi faves are Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Neil Stephenson, Ursula K Le Guin, etc. I'm thrilled for Nnedi to be innovating in this realm, and can't wait to read more.

[globehop]

I just finished the first book. amazing! I couldn't put it down. Just incredible.

[jayraine]

Such a cool writer, I would totally read her books