Last year in two separate classes, I had the opportunity to read Binti, a YA trilogy written by the amazing Nnedi Okorafor, a Black science fiction author. In previous blog posts, I’ve written about other Black female authors, and I knew I had to highlight her. By writing in science fiction, Okorafor stands up for Black women’s voices in a genre where they are minorities or silenced. Historically, sci-fi as a genre has been dominated by white male voices and characters, leaving Octavia E Butler as the first recorded Black female science fiction author in 1987 (BBC). While this fact highlights the importance of having diverse authors and characters, this post will focus specifically on the shift towards Africanfuturism and Afrofuturism in modern sci-fi, how Okorafor’s Binti trilogy plays into that, and major themes. So buckle up, cause this going to be a long one. First, some sci-fi history The term "Afrofuturism" was coined by Mark Dery in 1994 and is a response to whiteness in sci-fi. Afrofuturism dares to explore a future in which Black people can thrive without oppression alongside technological advancements, and is especially daring as Black history is specifically erased so imagining a Black future is extremely powerful (Blerd). Examples of Afrofuturism can be seen in modern pop culture’s Black Panther and Lovecraft Country as well as within Butler’s works (Blerd). Africanfuturism, a term Okorafor coined herself, differs from Afrofuturism since it is directly related to African culture and does not cater to or center the West. An example of the difference would be that Afrofuturism is a Wakandan outpost being built in the US while Africanfuturism would have the outpost built in a neighboring African country (Okorafor). Some major themes in Afrofuturism are the connection between Black women and water, reclamation of agency or history, alienation, and Black feminism (Wiki). To fully understand how Okorafor’s work is ground-breaking, we need to understand the history of science fiction. Science fiction first emerged as a genre around 300 years ago during the Scientific Revolution and Age of Enlightenment, a time of technological and scientific advancement (BBC). However stories containing elements and tropes from sci-fi can be traced back to the 2nd century CE (Wikipedia). Sci-fi focused on the different possible imaginings of what the future could look like and was a safe way to explore and answer philosophical questions, such as what it means to be human (BBC). Initially the genre wrote about unexplored places on the globe which later translated into space travel, time travel, and journeys to the center of the earth in an attempt to continue conquering. Two of the genre’s most influential authors were Mary Shelley and HG Wells (BBC). Shelley helped define what makes a sci-fi novel through Frankenstein (1818), while Wells released several novels, such as The Time Machine (1895) and War of the Worlds (1898) among others. Wells’ novels touched on time travel, aliens, biological engineering, and even invisibility (Wikipedia). Fast forwarding to the 1960s and 70s, science fiction entered a New Wave which involved more experimentation than previous works (Wikipedia). Many authors during this time were experimenting with alternate history, such as Philip K Dick does in his 1962 novel Man in the High Castle. Later Dick released Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? in 1968, which questioned what it means to be alive and how we are empathetic to others (BBC). Ursula Le Guin was also writing during this time and released The Left Hand of Darkness in 1969, which challenged assumptions about gender and is widely considered to be a breakthrough for women within the genre (BBC). In 1987, Octavia E Butler released Dawn, the first novel of a trilogy, and explored gender, race, sexuality, and interspecies reproduction within her novels (BBC). In our contemporary moment, current sci-fi trends are exploring the implications of Internet, bio and nano tech, utopias and post-apocalypses, and environmental concerns (Wikipedia). Afrofuturism and Africanfuturism are also growing a larger focus in our modern moment which adds to the work already being done to dismantle the standard sci-fi protagonist being a white cishet man. When these types of stories only revolve around this singular person, it implies that the genre is solely for them and that by proxy STEM is only for white men. However as society evolves to break down these barriers, I want to celebrate Nnedi Okorafor as an author who represents previously marginalized voices in sci-fi and advocates for Black women through her writing. Nnedi Okorafor Okorafor was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 8, 1974 to Nigerian parents and has been visiting Nigeria since she was young. When she was 13, Okorafor was diagnosed with scoliosis and underwent spinal fusion surgery when she was 19. Unfortunately there was a rare complication and Okorafor was paralyzed from the waist down; however, she was able to regain the ability to walk with a cane after intense physical therapy. Previously, Okorafor was a nationally known tennis and track star, and it was through the end of her athletic career that she began to write creatively for the first time. She took a creative writing class during a spring semester of college after a friend’s suggestion and started writing her first novel by the end of the semester. She got her Bachelors from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Masters in Journalism from Michigan State University, and her Masters and PhD in English from University of Illinois, Chicago. Okorafor won the 2001 Hurston-Wright literary award for her short story “Amphibious Green” and has released other short stories. She went on to release young adult novels and children’s books that won more awards. She released her first young adult novel in 2011 and continued to release more young adult novels. Okorafor started the Binti novella trilogy with Binti in 2015, and released Binti: Home in 2017 and Binti: A Night Masquerade in 2018. In addition to her own writing, Okorafor has also written comics for Marvel, such as “Black Panther: Long Live the King”, “Shuri”, and “LaGuardia”. She currently lives in Olympia Fields, Illinois with her family. (Okorafor, books) Binti Trilogy (spoiler warning!) Binti The first novella in the Binti trilogy follows Binti as she leaves home, and her planet, for the first time to attend Oomza Uni, a renowned college on another planet. Binti is the first in her family, and village, to leave and break tradition, but she is excited to learn more about mathematics as a master harmonizer. Unfortunately the ship she is traveling on is attacked by the Meduse in space and Binti is the only one left alive. Magically an old device called an edan protects Binti, allowing her to live, and then communicate with the Meduse. Binti is able to talk the Meduse out of attacking Oomza Uni and then negotiate a peace treaty between them and the University; however, not without the price of becoming part Meduse herself. Some things to note while reading are the ways race, gender, and culture play a role in the discrimination Binti faces or from characters breaking away from societal norms or traditions. The story has aspects of a traditional coming of age narrative combined with the ideas about the stealing of cultural artifacts for museums and the beginning of posthumanism themes that will continue in the series. Water imagery is also prevalent as an important part of Afrofuturism and this novella starts the conversation about consent that continues throughout the trilogy after Binti becomes part Meduse against her will. Additionally, the trilogy collection comes with the short story Binti: Sacred Fire which includes a trans character and the beginnings of conversations about PTSD. Binti: Home The second novella of the trilogy starts a year after Binti has arrived as Oomza Uni and as Binti decides to return back home to see her family and decides to take her friend Okwu, one of the Meduse, with her. However, Binti is still recovering from/learning to cope with her PTSD from the first novel and has panic attacks that pop up throughout the novel. Once she is home, Binti is excited to see her family but quickly learns that they are not all happy to see her after viewing her leaving as abandoning them. Also hearing about her return, her paternal grandmother from a different tribe arrives and whisks Binti off into the desert, forcing her to learn more about the tribe of Desert People she knew nothing about. Binti is forced to face her prejudices against the Desert People as she learns more about them and the technological alien DNA that lives inside them, as well as her. Ultimately, Binti chooses to activate this alien technology, further distancing herself from her family, and learns that they and Okwu have been attacked by the Khoush, sworn enemies of the Meduse, in her absence. Some things to look for while reading is the theme of posthumanism, which is the re-imagining of humanity by embodying different identities, as well as the way gender roles are enforced or flipped. Also the way mental health (PTSD, panic attacks, and therapy) is discussed in the novel is something to note, since it is usually absent or not so prevalent in other novels, sci-fi or otherwise. Another thing to note is the introduction of climate change and its effects on Earth/Africa, almost suggesting that Binti takes place in our timeline’s future. Binti: A Night Masquerade The third novella picks up right after the second with Binti rushing back to her home village with Mwinyi, one of the Desert People. Additionally, Binti is having trouble adjusting to the activation of the alien nanotech and Mwinyi works to help her to live with and control it. And on top of this, Binti takes it upon herself to stop the impending war between the Meduse and the Khoush, so her village is not further caught up in the conflict and possibly destroyed. The end of the novella explores ideas of polyamory as Binti pursues a relationship with Mwinyi back at Oomza Uni while also acknowledging her connection to Okwu and her paired ship, New Fish. Some things to look at while reading is the continuation of posthumanist themes as Binti continues to grapple with her identity as Himba, Meduse, Enyi Zinariya, and New Fish microbes, and the novella brings up ideas of what family really is. The idea of being a hero savior is also present with parallels to Harry Potter and the humanization of typically inanimate objects as life-savers also plays a role. Additionally, the theme of climate change is continued while the novella’s ending includes a reference to the sterilization of Black women and eugenics. Overall I really enjoyed reading this series, especially since I don’t typically reach for sci-fi novels. It was also a great learning experience about Afrofuturism since I didn’t know much about it beyond Marvel’s Black Panther. While I personally found the ending to the whole trilogy to be a little anticlimactic, I would highly recommend everyone read it since it is a shorter and easier read than other books I’ve had for different classes. However this doesn’t mean it isn’t extremely interesting, action-packed, or lacking in social commentaries. There were a lot of aspects that we analyzed in class and as an aspiring teacher, I would love to take this book into my future classroom and read it with my students. The amount of representation in the novel is important for people to see, especially in a genre where a Black female protagonist isn’t the norm. The trilogy also opens the door to what the future could look like from other cultures and perspectives is a refreshing deviation from the typical white male sci-fi protagonist and male gaze. I hope you check it out and find it as enjoyable as I did! -Sabrina
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January 2024
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