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Okorafor shows in the story of Binti that the culture you grow up in does not decide your future identity.
"You understand, because you truly are what you say you are-a harmonizer." (Okorafor, 49) "And if I had seen a fellow Himba, it was doubtful that I’d see any with Meduse tentacles instead of hair." (Okorafor, 118). (Launch Chapter)

Binti's ability to understand the Meduse (Okwu) comes from reaching out from her own energy to connect to the Edan. This shows that she is separating from her identity associated with her home culture and connecting to a new culture of the Meduse. She is making her own identity of being a harmonizer with aspects of the Meduse and Himba culture.

"We Himba don't travel. We stay put. Our ancestral land is life; move away from it and you diminish." (Okorafor, 13) chapter 1
Binti's culture and identity she associated with stays put and does not move away. They even state that if you move away from it you diminish from their culture. Even with all these cultural rules that have been part of Himba's culture and Binti's identity she still decides to set off into space at Oomza Uni making her own unique identity.

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How important is cultural or historical context to the production and reception of a text?

Within Nnedi Okorafor's book, Binti, we see how Himba culture is vital for the development of Binti. Throughout the book we see cultural values of the Himba conflict with Binti's career in Oomza Uni.

How do texts reflect, represent or form a part of cultural practices?

Himba culture is often represented by references of their practices and beliefs. Throughout the book, we see the cultural impacts of Binti and the Himba community, as when Binti left for Oomza Uni her family and friends isolated themselves from her.

"'Papa's always overdoing it,' he said. 'Stands all day in the shop working on the astrolabes and then comes to dinner and still doesn't sit down.' 'Now you see, Binti,' Vera hissed. I could feel them all glaring at me now. 'How long has he been-' 'Since you left, really' Vera said, looking squarely at me. Bena and Omaihi looked at me too. 'What?' I asked. 'You think I caused it by leaving?'" (Okorafor 143)

How does language represent social distinctions and identities?

Nnedi Okorafor uses language to represent certain ideas or cultural identities by using different languages, fictional or non-fictional.

"I was going to be a pariah."

Otjize

Moojh-ha ki-bira

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Students might focus on the ways in which texts explore the relationship between humans and the environment and the implications of technology and media for society. They might also consider the idea of scientific development and progress.

Okorafor throughout the book has Binti connected to her ancestry through the environment around her and with her Ojizi.

"Our ancestral land is life; move away from it and you diminish. We even cover our bodies with it." (pg 3 chapter 1 line 24)

Binti talks about how close she is to the land around her and how her whole life is land. She is covered in it and it helped her throughout the book with even having the power to heal the Meduse.

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When reading texts, students will encounter and interact with a multiplicity of perspectives, voices and characters. It is usual when reading and interpreting a text to assume that the views are to some extent representative of the writer’s identity. However, the relationship between an author and the different perspectives and voices they assume in the texts is frequently complex, and this makes the concept of identity an elusive one. The figure that emerges from the reading of various texts by the same author adds to the complexity of the discussion. Conversely, the ways in which the identity of a reader comes into play at the moment of reading a text are equally central to the analysis of the act of reading and interpretation.

Points of Interest:

On page 16 in Binti: The Complete Trilogy, Binti recites her full name, "I am Binti Ekeopara Zuzu Dambu Kaipka of Namib" (Okorafor 16). Then, on page 331, she recites her name once more, "My name is Binti Ekeopara Zuzu Dambu Kaipka Meduse Enyi Zinariya New Fish of Namib" (Okorafor 331).

What is the significance of the inclusion of "Meduse Enyi Zinariya New Fish" in her full name?

Personally, I believe that its significance is attributed to how Binti is learning to embrace her newfound identity as not just a member of the Himba, but a member of multiple tribes and races.

Furthermore, the embrace and exploration of one's identity is a thematic reoccurrence in Binti: The Complete Trilogy.

After Binti's discovery of her Enyi Zinariyan background, she has internal dialogue stating, "I was Himba, a master harmonizer. Then I was also Meduse, anger vibrating in my okuoko. Now I was also Enyi Zinariya, of the Desert People gifted with alien technology. I was worlds. What was home? Where was home? Was home on fire?" (Okorafor 204).

The significance of this statement resides in Binti's confusion about who she is and what she is. She had acknowledged that she was all of these things, but she hadn't a clue about where she belonged.

That prompts the following questions:

How does Binti find her place in the world after discovering that she wasn't primarily Himba?

How might this relate to our lives?

Before Binti had truly learned about the Enyi Zinariya, she, along with other members of the Himba, referred to them as 'desert people' (this can be seen on the listed pages: 160, 162-164, etc). This was because the Enyi Zinariya had a unique form of communication that the Himba did not understand. They would move their hands in "...circles, jabbing, zigzagging, sometimes harshly, other times gently. This was the way of the Desert People, one of the reasons the Himba viewed them as primitive and mentally unstable" (Okorafor 160). However, after Binti learns about the Enyi Zinariya, she respects them and begins referring to them by their actual name.

How does misunderstanding and ignorance lead to harmful misconceptions?

Why might Nnedi Okorafor include this conflict between the Enyi Zinariya and the Himba?

How might this translate to real world events?

In the first page of Binti: The Complete Trilogy, otjize is introduced to the reader and in the final page, otjize is mentioned once more. Throughout the novel, Binti finds that otjize is integral to her character.

What does otjize symbolize in the grand scheme of the narrative?

In my opinion, otjize symbolizes how one's culture can be shared with others. In the initial stages of the story, otjize seems to be exclusive to the Himba. However, after meeting the Meduse, it seems as though it can be used in other ways (i.e. to heal the Meduse).

Binti starts as strictly Himba (Otjize), then Meduse (okuoko), Enyi Zinariya (The Zinariya), then Miri 12 (a connection with New Fish).

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A text may offer a multiplicity of perspectives which may, or may not, reflect the views of its author. Readers have also their own perspectives which they bring to their interaction with the text. This variety of perspectives impacts on the interpretation of a text and therefore deserves critical attention and discussion.
The fact that the acts of reading and writing happen in a given time and place poses the additional question of how far the contexts of production and reception have influenced and even shaped those perspectives.

Quotes:
"'but they came to her first,' a tall man said, his long legs crossed before him. ' and lets be honest, if those things had come to any of us, what would we have done? Fled? Fainted? Tried to shoot them?'" page 216

In this quote, Binti is remembering the first time the Enyi Zinariya met aliens, and how 1 girl reacted to it versus her village.

"I had been raised to view the Desert People, the Enyi Zinariya, as a primitive, savage people plagued by a genetic neurological disorder. So that's what I saw." page 184

In this quote Binti is realizing how she has been viewing Enyi Zinariya based soley on how her parents raised her to think.

Guiding Questions:
- How important is an Author's perspective when writing about different Cultures.
- If we came from the Himba culture, how do you think our perspective of the book would have changed.
- How do you think the perspective of the book would have looked like if the story took place today?
-How is Binti's perspective influenced by what she has been taught?

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The study of the connections among texts constitutes the focus of one of three areas of exploration, namely intertextuality: connecting texts. The complex ways in which texts refer to one another, appropriate elements from each other and transform them to suit a different aesthetic or communicative purpose, are evidence of the importance of transformation in the process of creating a text. Additionally, the act of reading is potentially transformative in itself, both for the text and the reader. Different readers may transform a text with their personal interpretation. The text can also have an impact on the reader which potentially might lead to action and to the transformation of reality.

"they felt the same and ... I felt my hand touching them. The tingling sensation was gone. My hair was no longer hair." page 50

In this quote, Binti is just now realizing that her Hair has turned into Okowu.

"'No,' I snapped. 'Papa is Himba' I could feel the sting of my own nearsightedness." page 195

In this quote, Binti talks about her Father being Himba, even though he was originally part of the Enyi Zinariya.

Guiding Questions:
-How has reading Binti transformed your outlook on life?
-Do you believe that your interpretation of the book has transformed the message you are taking away?
(I believe the message is positive because of my personal experiences, but you may believe that it is negative due to your own experiences.)
-How has reading Binti transformed the way you view yourself?