82 african appropriations
Some even post valuable information that allows a rare look behind the
scenes of the photographed fiction. Thus, the story Subongo FX shares
with other subscribers of the African Film Facebook page paints a rather
miserable picture of the boy who impersonated Lemmy, and who, as the
youngest of the characters, embodied the future of the fictitious world of
African Film and that of its readers. His story goes like this:
I remember my mother used to buy the Spearman comic when we lived
in Zambia in the late 60’s. In 1970 we moved to Swaziland. One day when
we were shopping we saw Lemmy sitting on a street curb. A ll his [clothes]
were rags and he looked very depressed. My mother and father gave him
about 80 rand. He thanked us but still looked depressed. Then we found
some rented accommodation with guess who? Sonia. My mother did not
get on with her. I think my mother was trying to use her religion to make
Sonia [feel] guilty about how Lemmy was treated. We all imagined they
lived well from making money from the comic book sales. I think I had a
crush on Sonia and I was really sad when we moved to new accommoda-
tion.... A fter meeting Sonia in Swaziland and realizing the comic books
created a dog [eat] dog situation for the actors I felt pretty bad about the
whole comic book thing. It was only then I realized that in all the episodes
with Lemmy the poor guy always had the same [clothes]. He had the same
[clothes] when we met him only they were now torn to pieces. His skin
colour was very light. He most probably was of mixed race and probably
got discrimination from both whites and blacks. (African Film magazine,
Facebook, September 17, 2013)Similar to ten years ago, ideas of how to create updated versions of The
Spear continue to spread. Balogun Ojetade, for example, after discussing
on his blog how African Film “presented a critique of colonialism,” which is
perhaps an overstatement, announces the upcoming publication (summer
2014) of his own photo novel, The Siafu: Revolution. “The Siafu is about
escaped prisoner Jamil Brown, who suffers a virus-induced myostatin de-
ficiency that gives him enhanced strength, speed and endurance. Jamil is
hunted by his makers, while gathering others like him to help fight against
the corrupt system that made him. For those of you who don’t know, siafu
are army ants that, while small, are powerful and—in large enough num-
bers—can bring down an elephant” (Ojetade 2013). This remix of motives
from U.S. superhero narratives, African folklore, Afro-futurism, and post-
colonial political sentiments is meant to be an expression of steamfunk.