Sun Ra was the living embodiment of Afrofuturism as a concept, a mythical figure with a huge body of groundbreaking work that feels extra prescient today. A new, animated video from streamable sci-fi hub DUST tracks his legacy back to its origin story, a self-reported alien abduction in Huntsville, Alabama.
To narrate the story, DUST recruits Little Simz, who grounds highlights from the Arkestra leader's biography with important context and analysis. After providing a big picture overview of Sun Ra's Afrofuturist philosophy—centered on escapism in the face of oppression—she asks, "What does it say about how far we have, or have not come if this message still resonates with each new generation."
The short is part of an ongoing series on Afrofuturism that Okayplayer tells us will include episodes on George Clinton, Jimi Hendrix, and Missy Elliott.