How do we reclaim our imagination as a force for freedom?

You might know Ahmed Best from his role as Jar Jar Binks in the Star Wars universe– He is also the creator of AfroRithms from the Future and a lifelong champion of imagination as liberation. From the streets of the South Bronx to the worlds of the Jedi, Ahmed has spent his life proving that creativity can rewrite what’s possible.

You'll learn:

• Why imagination isn’t a luxury—it’s a right
• How watching the birth of hip-hop in the 70’s taught him that the future can be built from nothing
• The origin of AfroRithms from the Future and the joy of collective play
• What Afrofuturism reveals about freedom, history, and self-determination
• How his Jedi character, Kelleran Beq, teaches that The Force is love

Ahmed and Lisa trace a throughline from ancient Egypt to Dynamic Land to the Star Wars galaxy, showing that the power to future is in all of us.

This conversation is a reminder that joy, creativity, and imagination are the real tools of freedom—and that the best way to shape the future is to play it into being.

Read Lisa's thoughts on the episode on the How We Future Substack.

Links from the show:

• Learn about Afrofuturism from Ahmed's AfroRithm Futures Group
• Buy Ahmed's game: AfroRithms from the Future
• The Long Now Foundation Talk: When is Wakanda: Imagining Afrofutures
• The Long Now Foundation: Feel the Future with Ahmed Best
• New York Times Article: The Actor Who Played Jar Jar Binks is Proud of his Star Wars Legacy
• Sneak Peak of Marvel Comics: Jar Jar, written by Ahmed Best
• Disney’s Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy Series