【媒库文选】22世纪将属于非洲

The 22nd Century Will Be Africa's 22世纪将属于非洲

Lonny Avi Brooks 朗妮·阿维·布鲁克斯

With a rapid increase in African innovation， the 22nd century may see the dawn of the African Century.

In this new age of unparalleled prosperity and influence， AI will wake up to its African soul. The musician Brian Eno once said that the problem with computers is that there is “not enough Africa” in them. We will know that AI is working for humanity when it becomes more African.

As a forecaster and afrofuturist who imagines alternative futures from a black diaspora perspective，I think about long-term signals that will shape the next 10 to 100 years. I believe there are four major factors that will allow African nations to reveal the full power and reach of what my daughter calls our “cultural vibranium，” that fictional meteorite resource that advances the technology of Wakanda in the film Black Panther. Only this vibranium already exists as a state of mind within the African soul.

Leapfrogging: The first signal is technological leapfrogging， which is when developing nations accelerate innovation by skipping over older， less efficient technologies，moving directly to more advanced ones. For African nations，this exists through a variety of pathways. These include cryptocurrencies， sharing economies， and blockchain's smart contracts， such as what was used in political elections last year in Sierra Leone. In the near future， African nations and peoples will be able to leverage and scale their own discoveries as technology infrastructure becomes cheaper， rather than racing for innovation in the first place.

Demographics: A second powerful signal is reflected in the demographics of African nations. Their growing populations along with their immense geographic size will command our attention in positive， sustainable pathways well into the 22nd century. The population of the African continent will double to 4.2 billion by 2100， ensuring that soon two out of every five people on Earth will be African.

Culture: A third pathway derives from the second: the global dissemination of African culture. As Africans become more upwardly mobile and move out of the continent and across the world， it will place the full breadth of African culture on display.

Africa and its diverse nations reflect our core ancestral cradle with their strengths in fashion， design， and the potential for plant-based medicines. The continent's capacity to advance its urban middle class while retaining its culturally rich， dizzying variety of cultures provides Africa's real power.

Adaptability: The final signal reflects the African continent's ability to see beyond strict categories. We are rediscovering more wisdom in African world views. This African-centric perspective innately sees the interconnectedness of all things and the world as more fluid than binary categories. Many African cultures also have long-held and holistic approaches， such as the spirituality and non-gendered traditions of the Yoruba， Zulu， and Igbo religions.

These cultural beliefs have allowed African people globally to imagine and adapt. Africa's net regional exports will likewise reflect a mindset that can address climate change and think in nonlinear，out-of-the-box approaches. As Wanuri Hahiu， Kenya's premiere science-fiction author， has said， “Africa and science have never been separate.”

As Italy led the European renaissance， it is for these reasons that Africa will lead the next. This mindset is its real vibranium， and will allow the continent to shape the 22nd century as an African one.

随着非洲创新的迅猛发展，22世纪可能将看到非洲世纪的曙光。

在这个繁荣和影响力都无与伦比的新时代，人工智能的非洲之魂将觉醒。音乐家布赖恩·埃诺曾经说过，计算机的问题在于其“不够非洲”。当人工智能变得“更非洲”，我们就会知道它是在为人类效力。

作为一名预测者和从黑人离散社群的视角设想另类未来的非洲未来主义者，我思考了将塑造未来10到100年的一些长期信号。我认为，有四个重要因素将令非洲国家能够展示我女儿所称的我们的“文化振金”的全部威力和影响范围。“振金”是虚构的陨石资源，在电影《黑豹》中推进了“瓦坎达”的技术。不过，这里所说的“振金”已经作为一种心态存在于非洲人的灵魂中。

越级提升：第一个信号是技术越级提升，即发展中国家跳过效率较低的陈旧技术直接采用更先进技术从而加快创新。对非洲国家来说，这是以各种途径存在的，包括加密货币、共享经济和区块链的智能合约，去年塞拉利昂的政治选举就使用了区块链技术。在不久的将来，随着技术基础设施变得更便宜，非洲国家和人民将能够调节利用自己的发现，而不是首先竞相创新。

人口状况：第二个强有力的信号反映在非洲国家的人口状况上。非洲不断增长的人口和广袤的地理面积引领我们沿着一条积极和可持续的道路一直走向22世纪。到2100年，非洲大陆人口将翻一番达到42亿，不久之后地球上每五个人中就会有两个是非洲人。

文化：第三个途径衍生自第二个，那就是非洲文化的全球传播。随着经济社会地位向上流动趋势加强，非洲人走出非洲大陆，走向全世界，非洲文化的方方面面将得到充分展示。

非洲及其情况各异的国家以其在时尚、设计和植物性药物潜力方面的实力反映了我们的核心古老摇篮。非洲大陆能够在发展城市中产阶级的同时保留住其丰富灿烂的多元文化，这赋予了非洲真正的力量。

适应性：最后这个信号反映了非洲大陆突破严格的条条框框看待事物的能力。我们正在非洲世界观中重新发现更多的智慧。这种以非洲为中心的视角本质上认为万事万物相互关联，认为世界远比二元分类更流动多变。许多非洲文明都有悠久和全面的处世之道，如约鲁巴族、祖鲁族和伊博族的宗教的精神性和不分性别的传统。

这些文化信仰令世界各地的非洲人极富想象力和适应性。非洲的地区净输出将同样体现出一种能够解决气候变化和以非线性的充满创造性的方式思考的思维模式。正如肯尼亚首位科幻作家瓦努里·哈希乌所说，“非洲和科学从未分离”。

正如意大利引领了欧洲的文艺复兴，因为这些原因，非洲将能够引领下一次复兴。这种思维模式是非洲真正的“振金”，使非洲大陆能够将22世纪塑造成一个非洲世纪。（张琳译自美国石英财经网站2月24日文章）