Binti Discussion Questions

According to author Nnedi Okorafor, “Binti” is Arabic for “daughter of.” What is the significance of Binti’s name in Binti?

The name “Binti” is doubly symbolic. Out of all of her siblings, Binti is the sole heir to her parents’ knowledge, talents and business. The meaning “daughter of” evokes the connection between Binti and her family but also alludes to the deep love Binti holds for her home and its Himba people. Binti is not only the daughter of her parents; she’s also the daughter of her people. Her name ties her to her people even when she leaves home, just as her “otjize”—the red clay she uses on her body and hair—does. Later on, she becomes a sort of “daughter” of the Meduse when they accept her, mingle their blood with hers, and choose her to speak for them.

In Binti, how does Binti overcome her prejudices in the course of her journey?

Binti’s first experience with the Meduse is violent and frightening, creating a major block in her ability to empathize with them. She doesn’t want to understand the Meduse because she feels such strong hatred for them. Initially, Binti’s motivation is driven only by necessity—she must learn about them to increase her chance of survival. But as her knowledge of their biases, culture and motivations grows, her hatred decreases. Binti slowly lets her barriers down and ultimately takes a leap of faith—putting her life in their care when she releases the edan.

Later, at the university, she sees how the other students ostracize Okwu out of fear, and she connects Okwu’s experience to her own. The empathy Binti develops by making personal connections over the course of her journey helps her create a true friendship with Okwu. By the novella’s end, Binti can see how her initial prejudices held her back from necessary growth.

In Binti, how do Binti’s internal and external journeys mirror one another?

Binti makes a physical journey away from Earth and her family to Oomza Uni. Along the way, she experiences severe trauma at the hands of the Meduse but is ultimately accepted by them. During this part of her journey, Binti transforms emotionally from a naive girl who makes the difficult decision to leave home into a powerful young woman who has survived and learned from a traumatic experience. Binti’s hair is transformed through a sting by a Meduse into “okuoko,” or tentacles, a physical symbol of this change. She then uses her power to negotiate with the professors of Oomza Uni and prevent bloodshed.

How is the concept of God intertwined with science and technology in Binti?

Binti and her friends use mathematics and the trance created by “treeing” as a way to achieve a feeling of unity with the divine. They are all able to enter a state where equations and patterns allow them to experience transcendence and “[push] each other… closer to ‘God.’” The reference to “God” in relation to mathematics evokes Binti’s intermingling of spirituality and science. The edan is also symbolic of an overlap between technology and divinity. When Binti prays to the device, it saves her, even though she notes that praying to objects is considered blasphemous in her culture. The edan seems to transform the energy of Binti’s prayer into an actual current that protects her by killing an attacking Meduse. Binti also refers to the unknown material that makes up the edan as “god stone.” This descriptive image adds to the edan’s symbolism as a device in which the lines between science (electrical currents) and spirit become blurred.

In interviews, author Nnedi Okorafor talks about how her novels investigate the concept of “modernity.” What role does modernity play in Binti?

Modernity implies the act of innovation and making things new. Modernity is connected with growth, but it can also connote a European-centric or colonial mindset. Okorafor depicts an inherent conflict with this aspect of modernity in Binti’s journey. Binti’s people are judged by outsiders with words such as “primitive,” “uncivilized” and “tribal” because they are a private, remote community. Binti finds strength in their traditions, particularly in keeping herself covered with otjize even when she is far from home. However, if modernity refers to an openness to learn, create new technology and evolve, then Binti’s people are “modern.”

Among the Khoush and at the university, modernity is tied to white culture and institutionalized learning. The university setting provides the most striking example. Oomza Uni is, as Binti explains, famous for attracting a range of species from across the galaxy. It is the home of many cutting-edge technologies and innovations. Yet the university has also appropriated the culture of the Meduse in taking their chief’s stinger for scientific study. Only Binti, as a blend of the traditional and the new, can bridge the gap between the Meduse and the university cultures.