Paper short abstract:

The paper employs Afrofuturist concepts to analyses the songs, “Njema”, “Ijipita”, and “Area 51” available on the Zimbabwean dancehall musician, Winky D's 2019 album titled Njema and argues that he draws on futurism to expose the existing bleakness and invites imaginings of alternative worlds.

Paper long abstract:

The paper will analyse the songs, “Njema”, “Ijipita”, and “Area 51” by the Zimbabwean dancehall musician, Winky D, available on the 2019 album, Njema, to determine how they treat the realities in the post-Mugabe and Second Republic era that was established after the 2017 military coup d’etat, in relation to the past and the ruling elite’s purveyed political discourses of ‘a new dawn’. The analysis, which also considers the album cover, the artist’s sense of fashion and images of his performances, draws on a combination of Afrofuturist, African science-fiction and fantasy concepts such as the non-liner senses of time, revisioning of history, plural senses of spirituality, complex notions on identities, interactions with technology, imaginings of alternative worlds, and futurist sonic narration and musical performances (Adrienne Crew 2011; Tegan Bristow 2012; Elizabeth Hamilton 2017; Sofia Samatar 2017; Cezara Nicola 2020; Peggy Peattie 2022). The paper will argue that Winky D’s Njema, uses Afrofuturist aesthetics to expose the bleak conditions characterising the early years of the Second Republic, from a reggae and Zimdancehall music genre’s focus on social conscientisation and resistance against domination, and then uses these futurist aesthetics to transgressively transport the audience to or invite them to start imagining about alternative worlds defined by freedom, excellence in scientific and cultural production, connectedness with matters global-magical-and real, and economic opportunities that enable ordinary people to enjoy fulfilling lives.