'Akata Witch' Uncovers Hidden Strengths

 

By Tim Haddock

02/14/2025 at 3:20 PM

 

"Akata Witch" tells the story of Sunny Nwazue, a Nigerian-American albino girl who, after facing bullying and discrimination, discovers a magical world rooted in African mythology and her connection to an ancient lineage of mystical people. Sunny must learn to control her newfound powers and confront a dangerous evil threatening her community, all while grappling with questions of identity, heritage, and the true meaning of strength.

 

For those looking for a story that tackles racism, bullying, faith, religion, heritage and legacy, and mixes in a little witchcraft, “Akata Witch” by Nnedi Okaorafor is a good place to find it.

It’s a story about Sunny Nwazue, a 12-year girl whose parents are from Nigeria, but she lives with them in the United States. She is also an albino.

 

She looks different, and she is teased by her brothers and classmates because of the way she looks. Her father treats her poorly too, not just because of the way she looks, but because she is a girl. He has rules that are different for her, not the same as for her brothers, and low expectations for his only daughter.

 

Sunny is bullied at school, aggressively and violently, by one group of kids. Her brothers pick on her and her father intimidates her, threatening to beat her if she disobeys or inconveniences him.

 

Sunny deals with plenty of adversity in her daily life. But that all changes when she makes friends with a new group of kids from school.

 

They show her kindness and she finds her new friends are more interested in what she can do instead of how she looks. They introduce her to a world of magic and mysticism that is rooted in African mythology. Sunny is enthralled with this new world and is determined to learn more about it. They also discover that Sunny has a strong connection to an ancient line of mystical people from her home country of Nigeria and Africa.

 

She is introduced to what is called the Leopard People. They are able to use magic, perform spells, travel into spirit worlds and take on spirit forms. Sunny learns quickly she can easily use their magic and becomes very involved in this new world.

 

But her powers come with a price. She is chosen to use her magic to fight a growing evil. A group of villains led by a man called Black Hat, has been kidnapping and killing Black children in her neighborhood. Black Hat is able to use the same magic Sunny is learning. He is more dangerous, though, more experienced and more determined to use his power to make people suffer. Sunny and her new friends are called upon to fight and defeat Black Hat and his band of kidnappers. But it is not as easy as Sunny is led to believe.

This is more than a story of fighting evil. It is a story about fighting confidence and fear. It is a story about Sunny fighting the urge to surrender, even in the face of certain defeat. 

 

She goes from fighting discrimination at school and at home to fighting it in the spirit world. She is asked to fight someone who is attacking children and save them from something worse than discrimination. She is fighting someone who wants to erase history and the traditions of his and her ancestors.

 

One of Sunny’s powers is to cast a spirit face spell. She can change into her true self, one that can prey on people’s fears and one that draws out her greatest strengths. It is an easy spell to learn, but one that is difficult to master and presents a difficult challenge for Sunny.

There have been other characters in literature and in other stories who wear masks. Some do it to hide their identity, some for deception.

 

The Phantom of the Opera wears a mask mainly to hide his appearance. He doesn’t want to show how his face is disfigured and spares others from looking at him.

 

Sunny might have a similar reason for wanting to use a mask. Her appearance has led others to make fun of her and ridicule her. But she has also learned to not let it bother her. At least she has learned to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t hurt her.

 

The Phantom also wears a mask to hide his vulnerability. His appearance affects his confidence. It makes him an easy target for criticism and keeps him from expressing himself in the best way he knows.

 

The Phantom also wears a mask as a symbol of injustice. He is not treated as an equal because of his appearance. His mask is a way to find some sort of balance in society, to feel like he’s part of the orchestra, not relegated off stage and out of sight.

 

When Sunny uses the spirit face, she is not trying to hide or show her vulnerabilities. It is the opposite. It exposes her best qualities, even if they are not her proudest qualities.

 

The Lone Ranger wears a mask to hide his identity too. Instead of hiding his appearance, he is pretending to be a ghost. He faked his death and returned for revenge. He turned into a vigilante hero – his initial motivation was to get even with the people who tried to kill him.

 

Sunny uses the spirit face to connect with her spirit self. It is not exactly pretending to be dead, but it is a different type of existence. Plus, Sunny doesn’t use her spirit face for revenge. She could, but that is not part of her true identity. 

 

Batman wears a mask for a lot of the same reasons as the Lone Ranger. Batman is motivated by revenge, first to vindicate his parents who were murdered in front of him, then to make sure no one else experiences the grief and pain he did.

 

Batman’s mask becomes a symbol of duty. It turns him into someone who ensures safety and justice. It also becomes his shackles, never allowing him to escape his role as executioner of both law and legacy.

 

Sunny is not a prisoner of her spirit face. If anything, it allows her to freely express her emotions. There is power in her passion, but it is also something she needs to learn how to control for it to be used most effectively.

 

The spirit face is a way for Sunny to transform into a more authentic version of herself. It is how she connects best to the Leopard People and taps into her powerful heritage. It also turns her into a version of herself that is frightening and intimidating, just like her father and the bullies at her school.

 

That is her dilemma. Is it worth tapping into a power that gives her strength but also makes people fear her? Is it worth using that power to defeat an evil greater than the ones she already knows exist?

 

When it comes time for Sunny and her friends to confront Black Hat and save the children he has kidnapped, they all discover their powers are not as great as they were led to believe.

In the end, Sunny finds she is stronger with her powers and the traditions that provide her with them. But she needs time to mature and develop those powers to use them effectively and responsibly.

 

She has the power to battle her bullies, her father, discrimination, racism, the patriarchy and challenge her faith. It is something women in her past have battled and conquered. It is her time to fight them and learn how to grow her powers to help others. In the end, she realizes her journey has just begun.