Afro-futurism often imagines a world where colonialism remains unchecked, so as to highlight the flaws in the colonialist systems that govern society. One industry where colonialism has had a huge impact is tourism: people spend a lot of money to travel to beautiful or exciting places where the local people live in poverty and rely on tourism as their main source of income.
In “The Galactic Tourist Industrial Complex,” Tobias Buckell brings these themes into focus. Listen to LeVar Burton read the story here: “The Galactic Tourist Industrial Complex”
- Who are the main characters in the story?
- What are their relationships to one another?
- What are their relationships to their society as a whole?
- How does the author imagine Manhattan in the future?
- Compare and contrast it to New York City nowadays.
- Describe some of the alien species that visit Manhattan in the story.
- What happens as Tavi is driving over the river?
- What repercussions does Tavi face as a result of this incident? Who imposes the punishment? What is Tavi expected to do in order to make amends/set things back to “normal”?
- Describe the aliens’ idea of “an authentic experience” in New York City. Does this idea exist/persist in tourism nowadays? How do you know?
- What problems does / might the author have with the tourism industry of today?
- What patterns or practices in the tourism industry does the author criticize in this allegorical story?
- What themes of afro-futurism can you find in this story?
