Nigerian literary curator and decolonial researcher Uchenna Emelife brought his extensive knowledge of African science fiction to Fantasticon 2025, Denmark’s national convention celebrating science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Held from May 30th to June 1st at Støberiet in Copenhagen, the fan-run, volunteer-led convention brought together writers, artists, and enthusiasts from around the world. Emelife was part of this year’s line-up, delivering a thought-provoking presentation on Africanjujuism and its decolonial significance in children’s and YA literature.

In his presentation, titled Beyond Diversifying the Fantastic: Presenting Africanjujuism, Emelife explored Africanjujuism—a term coined by Nigerian-American novelist Nnedi Okorafor—as more than just a subgenre of fantasy. Rather, he positioned it as a critical framework through which African spiritual traditions and suppressed histories are reclaimed and re-centered. “This kind of fantasy is not ‘fantasy for fantasy’ sake,” Emelife explained in his post-event recap to Brittle Paper. “I argued that it is a reclamation of memory and meaning, a reclaiming of suppressed histories, a centring of Africa and African experiences in all their multiplicity and a subversion of cultural hegemony.”

Building on the work of writers like Okorafor and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, Emelife’s talk addressed emerging concepts such as Afropantheology and Jujuism, drawing connections between these frameworks and their impact on both African and global readers. He spotlighted notable works that embody the Africanjujuist spirit, including Ben Okri’s The Famished Road and Wole Talabi’s Shigidi, examining how these narratives explore African spirituality through speculative storytelling.

A highlight of the session was Emelife’s curated Africanjujuist reading list, which featured books, anthologies, short stories, and digital platforms like Omenana that champion African speculative fiction. The list sparked lively discussion during and after the presentation, with attendees requesting its expansion and suggesting further regional representation. “I had follow-up discussions about emerging tropes across these works and the need for further diversification even within exploring African spirituality,” Emelife noted. “I also got numerous requests to continue building the reading list…so please share titles of your favourite Africanjujuist / African fantasy novels and short fiction, especially if written by East, Central or South Africans.”

Emelife’s presence at Fantasticon 2025 extended beyond the lecture hall. He expressed appreciation for the community spirit of the event and acknowledged A. K. Hauser for capturing images of his session—adding that Hauser’s own book, The Cradle of Oshae, inspired by African folklore, had earned a spot on his summer reading list.

A passionate advocate for critical literacy and decolonial thought, Uchenna Emelife is the founder of Book O’Clock, which promotes critical and transformative literacy in Sokoto, and co-curator of the Sokoto Book and Arts Festival. His work has earned him several global recognitions, including an invitation to the first International Booksellers Conference (Sharjah, UAE); a nomination for the 2024 Sevhage Prize for African Literary Criticism; the 2024 Erasmus Mundus Master’s Scholarship to study Children’s Literature, Media and Cultural Entrepreneurship at the University of Glasgow; and most recently, inclusion in the 2025 ILA 30 Under 30 Awards list.

His presentation at Fantasticon 2025 furthers the work of reshaping the way African narratives are read, discussed, and valued—both within the continent and beyond.

Check out some photos below from Emelife’s presentation and his time at the convention!