Considering Africa’s rich and diverse cultures, Nigerian writer-director Dele Doherty, known for his feature debut Landline (2025), says science fiction, fantasy, and speculative storytelling are not receiving enough attention.
He notes that Nigeria is filled with stories, myths, histories, beliefs, and cultural traditions that naturally lend themselves to these genres, offering largely underexplored creative opportunities.
Speaking with The Nollywood Reporter (TNR), the writer-director, who is building his filmmaking voice through unconventional narratives, says Nigerian filmmakers have barely scratched the surface of what is possible in sci-fi storytelling.
“In fact, I would argue that we have not even fully explored our own supernatural traditions, despite how deeply they influence our societies and worldviews,” he says.
He acknowledges the practical challenges that contribute to the underdevelopment of sci-fi and speculative storytelling in Africa. According to him, the genre is often resource-intensive, while audience expectations also play a significant role. However, he maintains that these challenges should not prevent filmmakers from finding innovative ways to push the boundaries of African storytelling.
Turning to his short film Clairvoyant Dorcas, Doherty says one of the reasons he made the project is to demonstrate what these genres can look like on screen. He adds that it also reflects the kind of stories he wants to tell, while exploring the universal human desire to rewrite the past.
Doherty notes that the foundation of the sci-fi short, which serves as a proof of concept, is built around questions of power, exploitation, and the value of human life. The film also introduces a larger feature universe centered on secret research programs and unethical experiments operating in the shadows of society.
It is a story about memory, time, and the cost of altering what should never have been changed. “Unfortunately, many African countries, including Nigeria, have histories shaped by exploitation, corruption, political instability, and foreign influence. Those realities make the film’s setting feel both believable and relevant,” he says.
One key message Doherty hopes audiences take from Clairvoyant Dorcas is that people can create their future, and the world will eventually have no option but to align with it.
With his ambitious universe and unconventional storytelling approach, the director believes that simply describing the possibilities of African sci-fi and speculative storytelling is not enough. “Sometimes people need to see a glimpse of it before they can believe in its potential,” he says.
Concluding his thoughts, Doherty argues that Afrofuturism and African science fiction can play a defining role in elevating African storytelling. He explains that Afrofuturism allows filmmakers to imagine African futures, technologies, philosophies, and solutions.
“They allow us to contribute something unique to global cinema rather than constantly adapting existing formulas,” he adds.
Clairvoyant Dorcas is currently available on YouTube.
