The Last Angel of History 

The Last Angel of History is a powerful documentary that explores the origins and development of Afrofuturism. Directed by John Akomfrah, the film connects the main themes of science fiction with the Black experience of displacement and loss of historical roots. The documentary interviews several prominent Black creators who have contributed to the Afro-futurist movement, including George Clinton, Greg Tate, and Samuel Delany.

Mark Bound’s quote in The Ships Landed Long Ago: Afrofuturism and Black SF emphasizes that science fiction has traditionally excluded Black voices and experiences. The documentary highlights the role of science fiction through an Afro-futurist lens to counter these culturally homogenous ideas. Bound points out that traditional science fiction only talks about race on an abstract level and fails to discuss important historical and contemporary conditions.

One striking aspect of the documentary is the use of montage techniques. Laura U. Marks discussed this in her article Manners of Unfolding in The Last Angel of History. She describes two types of montage used in the documentary: the first is a montage contained within a single frame that contains a variety of contrasting images, and the second is “noncognitive montage”, where images and words speed by too fast to fully comprehend. These techniques reminded me of Quentin VerCetty's work, who also uses montage techniques and “glowing eyes” to craft futures influenced by technology and tradition.

As a student familiar with Soviet futurism, I find the connection between Afrofuturism and Soviet futurism interesting. At the beginning of the 20th century, Soviet futurists used montage techniques to build images of a future enlightened by communism. Ukrainian futurist Maria Siniakova used a multitude of contrasting images to talk about the destruction of the Ukrainian landscape and the unique effects of World War I on women. She also combined traditional Ukrainian imagery and customs with a view of the future, enforcing a connection to the Ukrainian past in the construction of a Soviet-Ukrainian future.

In conclusion, The Last Angel of History is an important documentary that highlights the contributions of Black creators to science fiction and the Afrofuturist movement. The use of montage techniques in the documentary adds to its power and effectiveness in conveying the themes of displacement, alienation, and the search for identity. The connection between Afrofuturism and Soviet futurism is an interesting one and highlights the power of imagery and montage techniques in shaping our understanding of the future.