'We stood and watched You, Mama, Crying. Still we didn't listen': African speculative fiction and the environmental crisis

Abstract

The thesis is a study of ten short stories written by contemporary African authors belonging to the genre of speculative fiction. The narratives address the topic of today's environmental crisis by depicting ten utopic or dystopic possible future realms in the near tomorrow. The texts unite the form of short story writing, deriving from the old oral tradition, with the genre of speculative fiction and the themes of the so-called climate fiction. The narratives are divided into two groups, according to each author's different interpretation of the possible future for their country and the roles covered by the supernatural and technology. The first five stories are Dune Song by Suyi Davies Okungbowa, Eclipse Our Sins by Tlotlo Tsamaase, Xaua-Khoe by Catherine Shepherd, Land of Light by Stephen Embleton, and Snake Blood by Dilman Dila. In these texts, the environmental catastrophe is associated with the invading presence of supernatural entities. The final five narratives are Unexpected Dawn by Musinguzi Ray Robert, More sea than tar by Osahon Ize-Iyamu, What the dead man said by Chinelo Onwualu, Tiny dots by Tuntufye Simwimba, and Poison by Henrietta Rose-Innes. These works are connected by both dystopian settings and the prominent use of the latest technology. The general feeling is that of a selfish and greedy human race, lost in its past traumas and unable to move towards a brighter future.