Nigerian-American author Nnedi Okorafor combines fantasy and the paranormal in her teen novel Akata Witch, set in her homeland of Nigeria (Viking, 2011). Albino Sunny, Okorafor's memorable heroine, finds herself one of the Leopard People, a chosen group with magical powers, as she and her friends battle Black Hat Otokoto, a dark sorcerer who plots to unleash a great evil.
Summary of Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch
Sunny has always known she is different, a white albino in the midst of her Igbo family. Her parents moved her and her brothers back from the U.S. for a better life, yet Sunny is constantly hazed and teased for being ugly and akata (an outsider) due to her skin coloring.
A vision of the world's end proves to Sunny that her looks are not all that is different about her. Together with friends Orlu and Chichi, Sunny embraces her true identity with the Leopard People, the magical ones charged with protecting the Lambs, non-magical people, as well as the world in a bond shrouded in secrecy.
Sunny begins her training in juju, the art of using magic, and earns chittim, metal bars of currency, for her achievements. She delights in her spirit face, a radiant sun mask, as she dances between worlds. Yet her lessons take on a greater urgency when her teacher charges Sunny and her friends with defeating Black Hat Otokoto, a serial killer who dismembers children as part of a darker plan. Together, Sunny, the humble Orlu, outrageous Chichi, and brash African American Sasha confront Black Hat Otokoto and alter the course of all their lives.
Review of Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
Akata Witch is a thrilling and intense read, dunking the reader into the rich world of Nigerian culture and mythology. The language and themes can be overwhelming at times, especially if the reader is unfamiliar with Nigerian culture.
Similarities to the Harry Potter series are startling, such as a rejected girl and her friends saving the world, a world with magical and non-magical people, and even a huge conference that includes special games. Yet the novel’s Igbo and Efik language, the rich tapestry of African values and prejudices, as well as the fantasy world of Sunny’s visions and high powered soccer games make the novel its own treasure.
Okorafor explores the urge to be accepted throughout the novel. Like all teens, Sunny yearns for inclusion, yet even in the Leopards' world she is a free agent, an outsider without direct magical lineage. In the end, Sunny saves the world through embracing her gift, a powerful message for readers to trust themselves and let their passions change the world.
About author Nnedi Okorafor
Born in the United States to two Igbo Nigerians, Okorafor mines her cultural heritage in her fiction. She has traveled to Nigeria many times and loves the natural world, particularly insects. The author of numerous short stories and several novels, Okorafor is a writing professor at Chicago State University and enjoys the windy city with her daugher. For more on Nnedi Okorafor, visit her website.
For more world travel and paranormal adventure, readers may enjoy Colleen Houck's Tiger's Curse.
Source:
Okorafor, Nnedi. Akata Witch. Viking: New York, 2011. ISBN: 978-670-01196-4.
Melissa Roberts - A trained hospital chaplain, Melissa is a freelance writer, teacher, retreat leader, and spiritual director.
