Science fiction (sci-fi) has been an artistic medium for many writers over the years to convey their own vision of the future. Sometimes they'd consist of utopian settings (e.g., Star Trek), of which inspire us to transform those visions into practical applications. More often than not, however, sci-fi usually conveys dystopian plots, of which serve as a warning about possible futures.

Unfortunately, most sci-fi has a tendency of being Western-centric and thus tends to largely ignore various different cultures and their past of which doesn't adhere to a certain demographic (re: white male). Keep in mind, the vast majority of sci-fi authors are white males (my demographic). And as someone who enjoys reading and writing sci-fi (especially dystopian sci-fi), I find it somewhat difficult in thinking of dystopian scenarios while operating under a politically-conscious filter.

Whenever a dystopian scenario is written, it usually entails a totalitarian setting where the rights of the general population are limited, if not altogether eliminated.

The problem with this general mindset, however, is in the assumption that these dystopian scenarios are left to the possibility of our future, rather than that of our past or present day. It's difficult for a lot of dystopian sci-fi to resonate with demographics outside of "white, male" given that it ignores the dystopian realities of said demographics.

• Forced into an international slave trade? ✔️

• Withheld the right to vote or marry (same sex, different race)? ✔️

• Mass genocide on a nation-wide scale? ✔️

• Subjected to either internment or extermination camps? ✔️

• Under constant surveillance and terrorized by the police? ✔️

• Sent to private facilities and administered electric shock therapies? ✔️

• etc. etc. etc.

In reality, dystopian sci-fi has largely been a white male's fantasy of what their future might look like. For everyone else, however, they're merely rehashed, and sometimes watered down, stories of what actually happened to them in either the past or present day.

Which then brings us to another form of sci-fi, of which is gaining significant ground in popularity: Afrofuturism.