Afrofantasy Magic: A New Realm
57sHighlights a fresh, culturally rich setting that challenges Eurocentric fantasy norms, sparking curiosity and representation discussions.
▶ Play ClipAI Summary
This video explores the creation of Magic: The Gathering's Zhalfir set, an Afro-fantasy world powered by five suns and rooted in Black diaspora cultures. The developers discuss their commitment to authenticity through cultural consultants and research, aiming to represent ancestral connections and spirituality in a fantastical way.
Chapters
[00:26]
World of Five Suns
Zhalfir is a magical world powered by five suns, meaning there is no night, contrasting with a dangerous spirit realm of ancestors and darkness.
[00:50]
Untapped Potential
The developers wanted Zhalfir to feel like untapped potential, not overwriting previous Magic lore but expanding what Afro-fantasy and magic can be beyond a Eurocentric lens.
[01:19]
Cultural Foundation
The set draws inspiration from Black diaspora culture, including dress and artistry, to build a new world based on that foundation.
[01:34]
Authenticity Through Consultants
Cultural consultants, Afrofuturist authors, and African history professors were involved to keep the set Afrocentric and authentic, blending African culture with Magic's aesthetic.
[02:15]
Spirituality and Representation
The set emphasizes ancestral connection, a spirit world, and rich representation of people, showing culturally significant elements in a fantastical way.
[02:43]
Empowerment and Joy
The creators hope players who haven't seen themselves represented feel empowered, excited, and inspired, especially through depiction of hair and joy in creation.
The Zhalfir set is a celebration of Afro-fantasy, blending authentic cultural elements with Magic's fantastical aesthetic to create a world that empowers and inspires underrepresented players.
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Study Flashcards (5)
How many suns power the world of Zhalfir?
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How many suns power the world of Zhalfir?
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Five suns.
00:26
What is the contrast to Zhalfir's eternal day?
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What is the contrast to Zhalfir's eternal day?
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The spirit realm, which is dark and dangerous with ancestors and monstrous things.
00:38
What lens does Afro-fantasy move away from?
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What lens does Afro-fantasy move away from?
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Eurocentric lens.
01:03
Who were involved to ensure authenticity in the Zhalfir set?
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Who were involved to ensure authenticity in the Zhalfir set?
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Cultural consultants, Afrofuturist authors, and African history professors.
01:34
What is the core hope of the creators for players seeing the set?
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What is the core hope of the creators for players seeing the set?
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That they feel empowered, excited, energized, and inspired, especially seeing their hair and culture represented.
02:43
💡 Key Takeaways
💡
Untapped Potential
Highlights the intention to expand Afro-fantasy beyond previous Magic lore, emphasizing innovation.
00:50
🔧
Cultural Consultants
Demonstrates a commitment to authenticity by involving experts in African history and Afrofuturism.
01:34
⚖️
Empowerment Through Representation
Expresses the emotional impact on underrepresented players, a core goal of the set.
02:43Full Transcript
[00:26] magic history for a very very long time. It's a very highly magical place. >> This is a world that is powered by the light and the magic of five suns. So there is never night here. And this is contrasted with the spirit realm where
[00:38] dangers where your ancestors and spirits darkness. So there's lots of monstrous things and things that you have to it's a way to stay connected to your
[00:50] >> Zafier sort of overwrote Miridans, but we didn't want it to overwrite what I come before it entirely. I want people to feel like this is untapped potential to feel like this is untapped potential only scratching the surface not just of
[01:03] what afroofantasy can be but what magic can be. Often times when we think about fantasy what we think about is a euroentric lens but afroofantasy is specifically pulled from the cultures of the black diaspora
[01:19] culture, the way that we dress, the way that we approach artistry. we get to use our inspiration from the foundation of what our culture is and build a new world and realm based off of that. >> So I thought perfect blank slate we can
[01:34] start fresh and really focus on making sure this stays as afroentric and authentic as possible. So we had cultural consultants, we had afroofuturist authors, we had African history professors keeping us on track
[01:49] and making sure it stayed true to our vision. The challenge was doing enough vision. The challenge was doing enough research and making sure that we were research and making sure that we were marrying African culture and weapons and
[02:01] textile patterns and all of that stuff with that sprinkling of the Magic the Gathering aesthetic. >> This is one of my favorite parts of the set. At the heart is like this very rich culture and spirituality. I want
[02:15] ancestral connection. I want to see a spirit world. I want to see that rich tapestry of people represented. It's a very highly magical place. Being able to show something that's so spiritually and culturally significant in a very
[02:28] fantastical way was a really important part of the set. And the visuals are part of the set. And the visuals are stunning.
[02:43] haven't seen themselves represented in such a way, I just hope that they feel empowered, excited, energized, and inspired to also know that, you know, are represented, their hair and the infinite things that our hair can do are
[02:57] represented. And I just want people to to feel the joy that we felt while to feel the joy that we felt while creating this set.