Binti Background

Africanfuturism

Author Nnedi Okorafor describes the Binti novellas and her other science fiction works as “Africanfuturism,” a term she invented. She defines it as a subgenre of science fiction that focuses on African voices and culture in a futuristic setting. Africanfuturism develops common science fiction themes, like space travel and advanced technology, while imagining possible, often optimistic futuristic settings rooted in the real past and present.

To this end, characters in Africanfuturism deal with issues that are deeply embedded in African experience and history. Okorafor specifies that her work often contains mystical or spiritual elements inspired by African culture and traditions, leading her to also coin the term “Africanjujuism” to describe her uniquely African subgenre of fantasy.

Okorafor distinguishes Africanfuturism from Afrofuturism, a term coined by cultural critic Mark Dery (1959–) in the 1990s to encompass an interdisciplinary movement in cultural production. Where Afrofuturism is best understood as an aesthetic and philosophical mode of which speculative fiction is one iteration, Okorafor views Africanfuturism as a subgenre of science fiction. Where Afrofuturism is rooted particularly in the African American experience, Africanfuturism centers on the continent of Africa. For Okorafor, this means exploring the diasporic experience through the lens of the culture, history and mythologies of Africa.

The Himba People of Namibia

Binti, the novel’s main character, hails from a Himba community in a desert region of futuristic Namibia. Binti and her community are inspired by the actual Himba or Ovahimba people of the Kunene River region in Northwestern Namibia. Unlike Binti’s community—whom Okorafor describes as sedentary—the Himba people are traditionally seminomadic. The communities establish permanent homesteads as well as moveable cattle posts, which are relocated to find grazing and water for cattle and other livestock. The cattle are central to the Himba’s pastoral lifestyle and are primarily kept for milk. Himba social structure is based around the extended family. Men often practice polygamy, having more than one spouse, while women choose their partners and are free to leave relationships.

The Himba are monotheistic and believe in a deity called Mukuru, the creator of the universe. The Himba also revere the spirits of their ancestors. Each family keeps an “okuruwo,” a holy fire, burning to maintain a sacred connection to their ancestors.

The primary characteristic Okorafor incorporates in her future imagining of the Himba people is their use of “otjize.” Otjize is a substance made from red clay, butterfat and a sweet-smelling resin. Himba women cover their skin and hair in otjize instead of bathing in water, which is scarce. Otjize acts as a cleansing agent, skin protector and insect repellant. The hero Binti mentions some of these when she talks about her use of otjize. To Binti, the otjize is also a symbol of her culture and family that she carries with her throughout her journey.