This is a literature class about heroes and superheroes .
Binti: Introduction and Discussion
Your assignment for this class is to read the entire book Binti by Nnedi Okorafor. The initial situation is similar to that in Star Wars (the rest of the story is quite different): a young person leaves home to go into space, their spaceship is attacked, and they have to take action. There are connections you can make between this novella and Black Panther, which we’ll watch next week. Like that movie, Binti begins in Africa, includes futuristic technology, and features a main character who has to take on a leadership role before she feels ready.
Nnedi Okorafor is an award-winning Nigerian-American author of science fiction and fantasy. Her work is a recent entry into the long and complicated tradition of science fiction. Although her work connects to many different kinds of science fiction, the strand I want to introduce today is called Afrofuturism or Africanfuturism (the term Okorafor prefers). Afrofuturism is a cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement that first gained traction in the mid-20th century (though the term “Afrofuturism” was invented later) through music and visual arts. It imagines the future from a Black perspective, and often explores utopian or hopeful themes, while acknowledging experiences of oppression, trauma, loss, and resistance. Black Panther is frequently described as having an Afrofuturist aesthetic and perspective.
I was going to make a video to explain the context for Okorafor’s work, but instead I’m asking you to watch her TED talk (9 minutes), in which she reads from Binti and discusses her approach to science fiction. It is always better to hear directly from the author herself! She doesn’t say it in this talk, but Okorafor typically describes her own work as “Africanfuturism” to highlight the important role that the African continent and its people specifically play in her work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt0PiXLvYlU (Links to an external site.)
Then read her blog post about Africanfuturism: http://nnedi.blogspot.com/2019/10/africanfuturism-defined.html?view=magazine (Links to an external site.)
After you have watched the video, read the blog post, and read the novella, your assignment is to participate in this discussion forum. In two ways:
Q1) Write a post that answers the following questions:
- This book depicts four distinct societies (two human – Himba and Khoush, one alien – Meduse, and one that’s multiracial and multi-species – Oomza Uni). Each society has a different worldview: how they understand the world/universe, what they identify as their purpose or responsibilities, and what they value. Choose two of these societies and describe and compare their worldviews.
- What do you think is especially interesting or relatable about the protagonist and hero Binti?
- How does this story resonate with our time (the 21st century) or 21st-century readers?
- What do you think is significant about the way this story imagines the future?
Q 2) Read the other posts and respond to one of them. I’d like you to point out something in their post that you agree with and why (maybe with an additional example or reason), or something that they said that is different from your interpretation, or that you hadn’t thought about yet.
and reply to her 50 to 100 words ( The Himba are one of the indigenous ethnic groups found in Northern Namibia in the southern part of Africa. Binti and her family members are Himba. Like other real-world colleague in the book, and use otjize to cover their skin and hair. They are the world notable astrolabes because of their power to channel electronics and also mathematical currents. They never leave their homelands and this is a general rule. In fact, Binti is the person in the community to leave the homeland and attend Oomza University. This action causes stirs since very few people have ever seen an individual from Himba land. This community is looked down upon by the Khoush. On the other hand, the Khoush are the majority in the Binti’s world. This community is made up of city dwellers and most of them arelight skinned. Their men put on black while their females put on white garments with veils and belts in different colors. They view themselves as superior beings compared to other races. They conflict with other people because they believe they are inferior. Thy scorn and treat Binti with disdain because they believe she is inferior as she comes from Himba community.
This story resonates well with modern world readers because of the cultural diversity cases and stereotypes attached to certain culture and races. White supremacy and the discrimination of the minority in different region of the world particularly in the United States of America are among the concepts an individuals can resonate with. This story tells of a future that everyone interacts with the outside world)
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