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The concept of the alien is used a lot in Afrofuturism to bring attention to issues in our society. The District 9 film is one of the strongest films that we have watched throughout the quarter emphasizing this issue. The movie is about aliens but in reality, the aliens it is referring to  the issues of racism, segregation, and the abuse of power. This film touches on themes like the othering which comes up a lot, displacement, corporate exploitation, and the fear of being considered different from others. 

What stood out to me from the film was the treatment that the aliens received as they were treated really similar to oppressed racial groups throughout history, and especially the apartheid in South Africa. The aliens were referred to as “Prawns” which was a racial slur dehumanizing them. Rather than helping them after their unexpected arrival in Johannesburg, they were instead isolated to District 9, a militarized refugee camp with poverty, violence, and security. This isn’t just a sci-fi scene in the film, this is a reflection of the apartheid-era townships that Black South Africans were segregated from white society. Throughout the film, the aliens are portrayed by the media and government as danger, once again, justifying the violence committed against them. This film ties back to the “othering; in Aye, and Gomorrah, Space Traders, and Brother from Another Planet, where certain groups are dehumanized because they are different… “not white”.

Another disturbing factor of the film was corporate exploitation. MNU, which is the corporation that Wikus works for, supposedly cares about public safety but they only want to profit from the alien technology. They treat the aliens as tools instead of living creatures. The MNU experiments with the aliens with the idea of performing a liver dissection on Wikus once he begins to transform into one because they see him as a useful resource able to operate alien weapons. This is closely related to Sorry to Bother You, where the corporations also exploited workers and profit from suffering. Both films involve corporations that use fear and greed to consist of power. The aliens in DIstrict 9 are denied rights and treated like animals only because there is profit being made by controlling them. The film’s message here is criticizing how governments and corporations work together to exploit certain populations. 

Wikus’ transformation is important because he is forced to experience discrimination that he first supported. At the beginning we see how he is shy and bureaucratic, following orders made to relocate the aliens to District 10, a reflection of a concentration camp. Shortly after being sprayed with black fluid, he begins turning into an alien himself and is hunted, experimented on, and seen as dangerous. This allowed for him to change his perspective because he is now suffering what he once supported. This connects to Octavia E. Butler’s work because she talks about how transformation makes characters confront systems of oppression and survival which is what happened to Wikus here.

Lastly, District 9 is big on Afrofuturism because it utilizes science fiction to touch on issues with race, segregation, and inequality. The film pictures a futuristic and alternative reality to expose issues that we see in our society today. The treatment of the aliens in the film is a reflection of immigrants, refugees, and marginalized groups. The film shows us that fear can be used to justify cruelty and how systems of power benefit from keeping these groups oppressed. District 9 is a really good film to help make the audience question how societies treat those who are considered “different”.