Nnedi Okorafor - Akata Warrior

Greetings from the Obi Library Collective of Leopard Knocks Department of Responsibility. We are a busy organization with more important things to do. However, weve been ordered to write you this brief letter of information. It is necessary that you understand what you are getting into before you begin reading this book. If you already understand, then feel free to skip this warning and jump right into the continuation of Sunnys story at Chapter 1.

Okay, lets begin.

Let the reader beware that there is juju in this book.

Juju is what we West Africans like to loosely call magic, manipulatable mysticism, or alluring allures. It is wild, alive, and enigmatic, and it is interested in you. Juju always defies definition. It certainly includes all uncomprehended tricksy forces wrung from the deepest reservoirs of nature and spirit. There is control, but never absolute control. Do not take juju lightly, unless you are looking for unexpected death.

Juju cartwheels between these pages like dust in a sandstorm. We dont care if you are afraid. We dont care if you think this book will bring you good luck. We dont care if you are an outsider. We just care that you read this warning and are thus warned. This way, you have no one to blame but yourself if you enjoy this story.

Now, this girl Sunny Nwazue lives in southeastern Nigeria (which is considered Igboland) in a village not far from the thriving city of Aba. Sunny is about thirteen and a half now, of the Igbo ethnic group, and Naijamerican (which means Nigerian AmericanAmerican-born to Nigerian parents, as if you couldnt consult the Internet for that information). Her two older brothers, Chukwu and Ugonna, were born in Nigeria. Sunny, on the other hand, was born in New York City. She and her family lived there until she was nine, when they moved back to Nigeria. This means she speaks Igbo with an American accent and says soccer instead of football. It also means she has to sometimes deal with classmates calling her akata when trying to get on her nerves.

Akata is a word some of us Nigerians use to refer to and, more often, degrade black Americans or foreign-born blacks. Some say the word means bush animal, others say it means cotton picker, others say wild animal or foxno one can agree. Whatever the meaning, its not a kind word. Ask anyone who has ever been called an akata by Nigerians for the reasons Nigerians call people akata and you wont find one person who enjoys the experience.

Oh, and Sunny also happens to have albinism (an inherited genetic condition that reduces the amount of melanin pigment formed in the skin, hair, and/or eyes), but that is neither here nor there.

Let the reader be aware that a year and a half ago, Sunny Nwazue finally became conscious of her truest self and was officially brought into the local Leopard society. For clarity, let us quote the staple tome Fast Facts for Free Agents by Isong Abong Effiong Isong:

A Leopard Person goes by many names around the world. The term Leopard Person is a West African coinage, derived from the Efik term ekpe, leopard. All people of mystical true ability are Leopard People.

We Leopard folk go by many other names in many other languages. A core characteristic of being a Leopard Person is that one of your greater natural flaws or your uniqueness is the key to your power. For Sunny, it was in her albinism. Shes slowly learning what this means. Also, to be a Leopard Person is to have a spirit face; this is your truest face, the one that you will always have. And to expose your spirit face to people is like trotting around in public in the buff. Sunny is slowly getting used to the existence, privacy, and power of her spirit face (whose name is Anyanwu), as well.

Last year, Sunny learned that she was a free agent, one where the spirit of the Leopard had skipped a generation. Free agents dont have Leopard parents who have taught them who they are from birth. A free agent knows nothing of Leopard societybe it other Leopard People, knowledge of juju and the mystical world, or exposure to mystical places like Leopard Knocks. They have just become aware of their Leopardom and know what it is to have their world become chaos.

Sunny learned about her Leopardom when she was twelve. Her mysterious grandmother on her mothers side was the Leopard Person in Sunnys family, and if that grandmother hadnt been murdered by the student she was mentoring, shed have brought Sunny in properly.

Be aware that Sunnys world is now occupied by mystical people and also beings only Leopard People can see, such as masquerades, tungwas, bush souls, ghost hoppers, and so on. This is especially true in the local Leopard society haven called Leopard Knocks, an isolated piece of land conjured by the ancestors and surrounded by a rushing river inhabited by a sneaky, vindictive water beast. The entrance to it is a bridge as narrow as an old telephone pole that runs over the river.

Understand that in order to appreciate this book, you must comprehend what a masquerade is and is not. Masquerades are not men dressed in elaborate masks and costumes of raffia, cloth, beads, and such. Here is a quote about them from the book