What is Afro-Surrealism?
THE TERM “AFRO-SURREALISM” WAS COINED BY AMIRI BARAKA IN HIS 1974 ESSAY ON BLACK ARTS MOVEMENT AVANT-GARDE WRITER HENRY DUMAS.
AFRO-SURREALISM IS CONCERNED WITH THE EVERYDAY LIFE BECAUSE IT IS SAID THAT THERE IS NOTHING MORE SURREAL THAN THE BLACK EXPERIENCE. ACCORDING TO TERRI FRANCIS,
“AFROSURREALISM IS ART WITH SKIN ON IT WHERE THE TEXTURE OF THE OBJECT TELLS ITS STORY, HOW IT WEATHERED BURIAL BELOW CONSCIOUSNESS, AND HOW IT EMERGED SOMEWHAT MYSTERIOUSLY FROM OCEANS OF FORGOTTEN MEMORIES AND DISCARDED KEEPSAKES.
AFRO-FUTURISM IS A DIASPORA INTELLECTUAL AND ARTISTIC MOVEMENT THAT TURNS TO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SCIENCE FICTION TO SPECULATE ON BLACK POSSIBILITIES IN THE FUTURE. AFRO-SURREALISM IS ABOUT THE PRESENT. THERE IS NO NEED FOR TOMORROW’S-TONGUE SPECULATION ABOUT THE FUTURE. CONCENTRATION CAMPS, BOMBED-OUT CITIES, FAMINES, AND ENFORCED STERILIZATION HAVE ALREADY HAPPENED. TO THE AFRO-SURREALIST, THE TASERS ARE HERE. THE FOUR HORSEMEN RODE THROUGH TOO LONG AGO TO RECALL. WHAT IS THE FUTURE? THE FUTURE HAS BEEN AROUND SO LONG IT IS NOW THE PAST
Player Testimonies
All player testimonies are consented to and shared with the purpose of educating and bringing light to player situations. Texas Girl Writes thanks each and every participant for sharing their stories and you should do the same!
UK Sims: Inclusion in the Black Diaspora
1. How important is Custom Content that highlights the uniqueness of the black community to your gameplay?
Custom content is such an Important highlight in the uniqueness of the black community because The Sims 4 is a role-playing game; it’s a game for creatives, for the imagination, for escape. It’s so important for that reality to reflect my reality, meaning having things you would see in black, Jamaican, African, and cultured households. It allows the game to come to life in ways that make sense.
2. How long have you been playing the sims, and what was the first ever mod/cc you downloaded
I have been playing the Sims for over ten years now. I had my very first Sims and experience Sims One, Sims Two, Sims Three, and Sims Four. It’s been a journey, and I loved every moment. I still believe that Sims Three will always be my favorite. The first mod I downloaded, I think, was new hair for my sim, yeah, I think I downloaded a bus-down 24-inch wig, but it was terrific.
3. What direction would you like to see the Black Simming community head in, and how do we get there?
As we advance, I would love for the black simming community to incorporate custom content that reflects the black community worldwide. I’m a British bae from London and would love custom content to reflect my environment. A lot of the custom content is American base which is fine, but it’s really hard to find custom content that reflects London’s aesthetic such as the shops and the food items food cc. Also, I feel like the black content community has changed sims so much that there needs to be some sort of recognition for the black simmers for the time and effort put into creating the cc that we can put in a game.
4. One issue you’ve faced as a Sims content creator?
Last but not least, the issues I face are what I mentioned before about not having custom content that reflects my environment. I feel like everyone has problems with Sims 4 and the updates, the crashes on the mods, and not fixing extension, and we went on to the new ones; other than that, the sim is life, is bae, and Sims is everything.
“I’LL ALWAYS BE TALKED ABOUT IN A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE LIGHT, HOWEVER MY SIMS ARE THE HIGHTLIGHT OF MY STORY AND I WILL REPRESENT FOR THEM” – Mia
1. How important is Custom Content that highlights the uniqueness of the black community to your gameplay?
Custom Content in The Sims shows diversity, representation, equality, and, most importantly, freedom. Custom Content is “all I put into my game,” according to Mia. Mia recounts her childhood and how the “lack of diversity” within The Sims, because they only “focus on their base game players.” which excludes black content creators.
2. How long have you been playing the sims, and what was the first ever mod/cc you downloaded?
I’ve been playing since I was about eight or nine; my journey started with “The Sims Bustin’ Out.” when it was released in 2004. When I started playing the Sims, I searched for custom content made by black creators. I planned out a list with the upcoming custom content creators. The first content creator I can remember finding is Kiko Vanity on Tumbler. I fell in love with her work because it showed black sims in a life of luxury, fine dining, and everything I see daily. In addition to Kiki Vanity, I enjoyed custom content by Brandy Sims and Kie Gross.
3. What direction would you like to see the Black swimming community head in, and how do we get there?
I love and stand by the black sim community because we all agree that diversity is needed within the game. We all need to come together because there is still a significant divide in beliefs, the style of gameplay, and what we stand for. We should work on uplifting each other since I have experienced hate comments from within the community and beyond on my platform. Hate comments were an eye-opening experience; we must do more work within ourselves, then try to move our community forward.
4. One issue you’ve faced as a Sims content creator?
As far as being a content creator, the one issue I’ve faced is a backlash on my highest-viewed Tik Tok video, which has over 141,000 views. The backlash stemmed from me being an Alpha CC player (custom content that looks more realistic using higher-spec machines due to graphic demands), as I prefer my sims to look more human-like. “The negative comments I received on commissioned work were disrespectful and hurtful. In response to creating a rich and successful black family, one of my supporters, I began to see weird comments about my sims. I’m a simmer who likes to express the real features of black people through fuller lips because we get a lot of hate, and I want back people’s features to be showcased.” In addition to comments about lips, the attacks on her black sim’s antiblack comments about their skin color also harmed Mia’s game morale. “I’ve made Alpha CC sims without problems, but when it comes to my black sims, they endure far more hate which is devastating to see.” These types of devastating comments are more hurtful when they come from other players within the black sim community. Mia also experienced hate comments towards her family which was “too far,” for her.
Texas Girl Writes 