That was an interesting read - thank you for posting it! Disclaimer - I know that Mike Resnick has written more stories in the same world. I haven't read them, and they might resolve my issues...
That was an interesting read - thank you for posting it!
Disclaimer - I know that Mike Resnick has written more stories in the same world. I haven't read them, and they might resolve my issues with this one. I'm just reacting to this story in isolation.
It is set in the far future, where the Kenyan Kikuyu tribe has settled another planet, while preserving their traditional ways. The story sets up a dilemma for Koriba, the mundumugu ("witch doctor"): does he teach Kamari, a brilliant young girl; or does he preserve the tribe's culture by enforcing the traditional restriction that women do not read.
Ultimately, (spoiler)
he doesn't teach her, and she kills herself, in a parallel to the bird that dies because it cannot fly.
My main issue with the story is that while Koriba faces a dilemma, from the perspective of the reader and the author the choice is very clear. The "preserve culture" option is presented as misogynistic, hypocritical (the tribe depends on climate adjustments made by Maintenance, which Koriba is deceptive about), and fragile (a single smart young girl could destroy the culture). Kamari's father is presented as selfish, greedy and uncaring. The weight of the narrative is firmly behind the "teach Kamari" option, with its associated Western liberal values.
I think the story would have been much stronger if it was presenting the reader with a real dilemma about traditional cultures and whether they can or should retain their values or adapt in the face of colonialism and technological change. There is a whole sub-genre of post-colonial science fiction which examines this sort of question. It's a while since I've read it, but I think the So Long Been Dreaming anthology (ed. Nalo Hopkinson and Uppinder Mehan) has more interesting takes than Resnick's story.
You basically hit my thoughts entirely. I am adding the collection you linked to my tbr though! This also made me think, tangentially, of the Binti series of novellas which is more...
You basically hit my thoughts entirely. I am adding the collection you linked to my tbr though! This also made me think, tangentially, of the Binti series of novellas which is more "Africanfuturism" and "Africanjujuism" wherein her Himba faith/tradition is not portrayed as obviously a computer but as a living thing.
(It was also jarring to have the references to FGM so casually. )
The common term is Afrofuturism I believe. And yeah, Resnick does not shy away from the darker parts of the culture in the rest of Kirinyaga either. It's all firmly written from the lens of its...
The common term is Afrofuturism I believe.
And yeah, Resnick does not shy away from the darker parts of the culture in the rest of Kirinyaga either. It's all firmly written from the lens of its narrator Koriba.
Relevant, Nnedi Okorafor is the author of the works I was referencing and she specifically writes Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism. I have read multiple works from her and others whose work is...
Relevant, Nnedi Okorafor is the author of the works I was referencing and she specifically writes Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism. I have read multiple works from her and others whose work is in the same genre. The terms are accurate! Please see below.
Okorafor has spent years correcting misconceptions about her work and insisting that she writes Africanfuturism, not Afrofuturism.
The issue, she argues, is not simply one of terminology but reflects a broader unwillingness to allow Black and African writers the space to shape their own narratives.
I am an africanfuturist and an africanjujuist. Africanfuturism is a sub-category of science fiction. Africanjujuism is a subcategory of fantasy that respectfully acknowledges the seamless blend of true existing African spiritualities and cosmologies with the imaginative.
Reminder: Africa is not a country, it's a diverse continent. I'm also aware that it's a construct (and an ethereal thing who travels across space and time); I'm just rolling with it.
Africanfuturism is similar to “afrofuturism” in the way that blacks on the continent and in the Black Diaspora are all connected by blood, spirit, history and future. The difference is that africanfuturism is specifically and more directly rooted in African culture, history, mythology and point-of-view as it then branches into the Black Diaspora, and it does not privilege or center the West.
As for the narrative, I'd feel more comfortable with it if he were part of the culture he was writing about, because I have no sense of whether it makes sense for his characters to say what they do and advocate for what they do within the culture he's chosen. I'd need to understand whether he did that well or not better before I could assess if he's "not shying away" or highlighting the "foreigness" (and violence) of the culture for his presumably majority white and Western readers. ETA: I'm not familiar with him or his work beyond this story, so I am genuinely saying this is something I'd have to have a better sense of.
Huh, I'll distinguish between them in the future then. This is my first time coming across either terms, but I'm admittedly outdated when it comes to current fantasy trends and movements.
Huh, I'll distinguish between them in the future then. This is my first time coming across either terms, but I'm admittedly outdated when it comes to current fantasy trends and movements.
Well if you're just catching up to 1989 Hugo Nominees I can see why ;) Kidding, I certainly haven't read all of them and I do appreciate the story. I do find that as I've had the opportunity to, I...
Well if you're just catching up to 1989 Hugo Nominees I can see why ;)
Kidding, I certainly haven't read all of them and I do appreciate the story. I do find that as I've had the opportunity to, I much prefer SFF stories told by (or led by) people from the cultures being presented. I grew up on whatever my local public library had in that section from the previous few decades and there is so much more breadth and depth now. And people get to tell stories rather than only having stories told about them. The older stuff can still be good, though some stories do not age well; I don't feel like I have a sense for Resnick yet. Not sure if I'll read more of his but I do like that I got a chance to.
I can understand the desire for authenticity. You have a nice way of putting it: to have people tell stories about themselves instead of having stories told about them.
I can understand the desire for authenticity. You have a nice way of putting it: to have people tell stories about themselves instead of having stories told about them.
That's an interesting analysis. From my own perspective as a reader, the narrative doesn't cast any judgement on Koriba. I did not end up completing the story thinking that there was a clearly...
That's an interesting analysis. From my own perspective as a reader, the narrative doesn't cast any judgement on Koriba. I did not end up completing the story thinking that there was a clearly correct option (in providing her with education/changing the Kikuyu's culture for her sake), even when it ends in tragedy.
What I enjoy the most about this short story (and the rest in the anthology) is the glimpse into Koriba's personality. I haven't encountered many examples like his combination of ego but also genuine devotion to his cause.
That was an interesting read - thank you for posting it!
Disclaimer - I know that Mike Resnick has written more stories in the same world. I haven't read them, and they might resolve my issues with this one. I'm just reacting to this story in isolation.
It is set in the far future, where the Kenyan Kikuyu tribe has settled another planet, while preserving their traditional ways. The story sets up a dilemma for Koriba, the mundumugu ("witch doctor"): does he teach Kamari, a brilliant young girl; or does he preserve the tribe's culture by enforcing the traditional restriction that women do not read.
Ultimately, (spoiler)
he doesn't teach her, and she kills herself, in a parallel to the bird that dies because it cannot fly.My main issue with the story is that while Koriba faces a dilemma, from the perspective of the reader and the author the choice is very clear. The "preserve culture" option is presented as misogynistic, hypocritical (the tribe depends on climate adjustments made by Maintenance, which Koriba is deceptive about), and fragile (a single smart young girl could destroy the culture). Kamari's father is presented as selfish, greedy and uncaring. The weight of the narrative is firmly behind the "teach Kamari" option, with its associated Western liberal values.
I think the story would have been much stronger if it was presenting the reader with a real dilemma about traditional cultures and whether they can or should retain their values or adapt in the face of colonialism and technological change. There is a whole sub-genre of post-colonial science fiction which examines this sort of question. It's a while since I've read it, but I think the So Long Been Dreaming anthology (ed. Nalo Hopkinson and Uppinder Mehan) has more interesting takes than Resnick's story.
You basically hit my thoughts entirely. I am adding the collection you linked to my tbr though! This also made me think, tangentially, of the Binti series of novellas which is more "Africanfuturism" and "Africanjujuism" wherein her Himba faith/tradition is not portrayed as obviously a computer but as a living thing.
(It was also jarring to have the references to FGM so casually. )
The common term is Afrofuturism I believe.
And yeah, Resnick does not shy away from the darker parts of the culture in the rest of Kirinyaga either. It's all firmly written from the lens of its narrator Koriba.
Relevant, Nnedi Okorafor is the author of the works I was referencing and she specifically writes Africanfuturism and Africanjujuism. I have read multiple works from her and others whose work is in the same genre. The terms are accurate! Please see below.
The Exhaustion of Explaining Oneself: Nnedi Okorafor and the Battle to Define Africanfuturism
Nnedi's Wahala Zone Blog: Africanfuturism Defined
The whole piece is worth reading
As for the narrative, I'd feel more comfortable with it if he were part of the culture he was writing about, because I have no sense of whether it makes sense for his characters to say what they do and advocate for what they do within the culture he's chosen. I'd need to understand whether he did that well or not better before I could assess if he's "not shying away" or highlighting the "foreigness" (and violence) of the culture for his presumably majority white and Western readers. ETA: I'm not familiar with him or his work beyond this story, so I am genuinely saying this is something I'd have to have a better sense of.
Huh, I'll distinguish between them in the future then. This is my first time coming across either terms, but I'm admittedly outdated when it comes to current fantasy trends and movements.
Well if you're just catching up to 1989 Hugo Nominees I can see why ;)
Kidding, I certainly haven't read all of them and I do appreciate the story. I do find that as I've had the opportunity to, I much prefer SFF stories told by (or led by) people from the cultures being presented. I grew up on whatever my local public library had in that section from the previous few decades and there is so much more breadth and depth now. And people get to tell stories rather than only having stories told about them. The older stuff can still be good, though some stories do not age well; I don't feel like I have a sense for Resnick yet. Not sure if I'll read more of his but I do like that I got a chance to.
So thanks!
I can understand the desire for authenticity. You have a nice way of putting it: to have people tell stories about themselves instead of having stories told about them.
That's an interesting analysis. From my own perspective as a reader, the narrative doesn't cast any judgement on Koriba. I did not end up completing the story thinking that there was a clearly correct option (in providing her with education/changing the Kikuyu's culture for her sake), even when it ends in tragedy.
What I enjoy the most about this short story (and the rest in the anthology) is the glimpse into Koriba's personality. I haven't encountered many examples like his combination of ego but also genuine devotion to his cause.