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Mention ‘Afrofuturism’ and it is likely that many people will automatically think of an imagined futuristic world with a large dose of positive black iconic figures and imagery. The Black Panther film featuring the Marvel Comics superhero, may be an obvious example. But the sci-fi genre has long been associated with various art forms - from the cosmic sounds of the African-American musician Sun Ra, to visual arts, comics and literature - often fusing science fiction and the futuristic with ancient African imagery and mythologies, to portray themes of identity and challenge stereotypes. Journeys across Afro-Futurism is a special season that is taking place at the Barbican Centre in London. The month-long programme explores the different traditions of the genre through film. Curator Matthew Barrington spoke to Focus on Africa's Bola Mosuro about two of the films being screened, but first defined what Afrofuturism means to him. Featured films: Ratnik directed by Dimeji Ajibola. Kati, Kati directed by Mbithi Masya. (Image from the film Ratnik. Courtesy of Dimeji Ajibola.)