Afrofuturism and Cultural Imperialism: Examining the Representation and Preservation of African Heritage in Film Abstract

This study investigates Afrofuturism as a cultural aesthetic that combines science fiction, history, and fantasy in order to envision the African diaspora's experiences and possible futures. While Afrofuturism is intended to reflect global Black culture, it often centers on African- American connections to speculative narratives, thereby narrowing its broader cultural scope. Focusing on Black Panther as a case study, this study analyzes the impact of cultural imperialism in Afrofuturistic film. This study explores the preservation, representation, and commodification of authentic African heritage in Afrofuturistic movies founded on Afrofuturist and Pan-Africanist theories. The study conducts a comparative thematic analysis of music, visual appeal, social and cultural framing, and language in Black Panther to examine how they contribute to the film's representation of an African identity. It tries to ascertain whether the representations adhere to or deviate from hegemonic discourses on Africa, hence asserting the tension between cultural preservation and commercialisation of identity fueled by Western forces. This analytic narrative suggests Afrofuturism serves a double function; It is both a means of cultural recovery and a commercially viable genre which commands a wider global influence. This study, therefore, reflects on the wider significance of Afrofuturism for popular African cultural understandings outside Black Panther and in global contexts.