What does the otjize symbolize for Binti?
The otjize symbolizes Binti ’s Himba culture and her changing relationship to it. Otjize is a traditional mixture of reddish clay, oils, and perfumes that the Himba spread over their bodies and hair. It marks them as Himba, and especially for Binti, it’s a point of pride to wear it.
What is otjize?
and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive." The otjize symbolizes Binti ’s Himba culture and her changing relationship to it. Otjize is a traditional mixture of reddish clay, oils, and perfumes that the Himba spread over their bodies and hair.
Who is binti?
Binti is of the Himba poeple, a tribe in Namibia who use ‘sweet smelling otjize’, a mixture of ochre and butterfat over their skin, rolling it into their hair as protection against the desert sun. The Himba, as Binti points out, ‘don’t travel’.
Who is binti in the giver?
This girl, Binti, is a mathematical genius who hales from the Himba tribe in Namibia. The people of Himba use a natural substance called ‘otjize’, which is a mixture of ochre and butterfat. Otjize is applied over their skin and in their hair as protection against the desert sun.
What does the Edan represent in Binti?
Edan is a general term for an electronic device that's too old to be useable; Binti's edan, which she can't figure out how to use for much of her life, suddenly allows her to communicate with the Meduse.
What effect does Binti's otjize have on the Medusa?
Not only does her otjize protect her from their stings, it actually heals the Meduse from their injuries, which is what initially compels the Meduse to trust Binti instead of finding new ways to kill her.
What is a master harmonizer in Binti?
Binti is a “master harmonizer,” someone who is able to use a genius for mathematics, a training in advanced technological development, and the customs of her people to “speak” into the world, bringing people and worlds together in harmony or challenge.
How does Binti understand the meduse?
The world seems to shudder, and then she hears a voice say, “Girl.” It's telling that Binti is able to understand the Meduse when she combines math, otjize (and symbolically, her home and Himba culture), and this mysterious device.
What happened to Binti's hair?
Binti leaves the edan behind as she follows Okwu to join the chief. Before Binti left her room, she rolled fresh otjize into her braids. Her head tingled and she remembered how as a kid, she and friends snuck out and washed all their otjize off one night—it was horrifying but thrilling.
Does Binti become a meduse?
The stinger is returned to the chief of the Meduse, and Okwu joins Binti at the school as a student. Binti realizes that her hair has become a mass of tentacles. She is now part Meduse.
What is Binti's last name?
Binti, who narrates the story, is a young Himba woman who leaves her home in the desert to attend a university on a distant planet. Her full name is Binti Ekeopara Zuzu Dambu Kaipka of Namib.
How did Binti get the meduse to trust her?
Her otjize, the sacred clay worn on the skin of her people, turns out to have the ability to heal injured Meduse. Using it to heal the tentacle of Okwu, a young headstrong Meduse not unlike Binti in character, allows him and Binti to form a bond through which mutual trust and friendship can develop.
Who is the main character Binti?
Binti CharactersBinti. Binti is the novella's titular protagonist; she's a 16-year-old girl from the Himba tribe. ... Okwu. Okwu is a young, hotheaded Meduse. ... The Chief. ... Okpala. ... Binti's Father. ... Haras. ... Heru. ... Bena.More items...
Why is Binti important?
She is the sole representative of the human species when she remains the only thing standing between the Meduse and the destruction of the entire population of Oomza Uni.
How is Binti presented as a hero?
Binti is 17 years old, she goes through so much and yet, she remains intelligent and caring, empathic and hopeful. She's a hero basically, if we weren't already sure of that after the first volume. I could sum up Home by: SO MANY EMOTIONS. I've been planets away and learned about and met people from other worlds.
What physical change did Binti notice about herself?
But as part of her work as a “harmonizer,” Binti also changes physically: where she used to have hair, she grows okuoko, the tentacles that all Meduse have.
What is the Meduse inspired by?
The Meduse are strange, jellyfish like creatures probably inspired by the ‘little blue jellyfish…swimming in the Khalid Lagoon that Sunday day in Sharjah’ that Okorafor has dedicated the novella to. The aliens ‘move like water when at war’ and ‘there is no water on their planet, but they worship water as a god.
What does Binti mean in Arabic?
The Arabic word binte or binti means ‘daughter of’ . Okorafor’s Binti is more than just the daughter and representatives of her gifted parents and of the Himba.
What is Binti by?
Binti. by Nnedi Okorafor. In Nnedi Okorafor’s new novella, the titular Binti has left home for the very first time at age 16. Unknown to her parents or siblings, she has accepted a place to study at the prestigious Oomza Uni, a distant planet with only a 5% human population but filled with those from many planets who are ‘obsessed with knowledge, ...
What is Binti's tribe?
Binti is of the Himba poeple, a tribe in Namibia who use ‘sweet smelling otjize’, a mixture of ochre and butterfat over their skin, rolling it into their hair as protection against the desert sun. The Himba, as Binti points out, ‘don’t travel’. ‘We stay put,’ she says, ‘Our ancestral land is life; move away from it and you diminish. We even cover our bodies with it. Otjize is red land.’ But Binti’s tribe are also great proponents of and developers of superior, sophisticated technology, her father having passed three hundred years of oral knowledge about circuits, currents and mathematics to her, helping her become a ‘master harmonizer’ at age 12, communicating with the ‘spirit flow’ and convincing them to become one current.
Where does Mahvesh live?
Mahvesh loves dystopian fiction & appropriately lives in Karachi, Pakistan. She writes about stories & interviews writers the Tor.com podcast Midnight in Karachi when not wasting much too much time on Twitter.
Do Binti tribes leave Earth?
But though Binti’s tribe is ‘obsessed with innovation and technology’, they remain ‘small, private, and [do not] like to leave Earth’. They ‘prefer to explore the universe by travelling inward, as opposed to outward’, with Binti herself ‘treeing’ into a sort of trance like clarity when need be.
Do aliens worship water?
The aliens ‘move like water when at war’ and ‘there is no water on their planet, but they worship water as a god. Their ancestors came from water long ago’. But now the Meduse are space terrorists, violently destroying whatever stands in their way, wreaking havoc across deep space.
What does Okuoko mean?
Okuoko represent Binti ’s changing identity in relation to her new friendships. The word okuoko refers to the tentacles of the Meduse —as well as Binti’s thick, tentacle-like braids—and it’s the first word of the…
What does the Otjize symbolise?
The otjize symbolizes Binti ’s Himba culture and her changing relationship to it. Otjize is a traditional mixture of reddish clay, oils, and perfumes that the Himba spread over their bodies and hair. It marks…
Entrenched Racism
While the Namibian Himba are semi-nomadic, the community in the book is sedentary with deep roots in their native lands. This sedentariness makes Binti an outsider when she travels off her home planet to study at Oomza Uni.
The Power of Otjize and its Importance in Himba culture
The most obvious connection between the Himba in the book and the real-life Himba is the use of otjize. It also has similar purposes: protecting the wearer’s skin and hair from the harsh climates they inhabit.
Conclusion
Binti, an Africanfuturist novel, is a beautiful work that provides much-needed exposure to a culture not very well known. By pivoting around a Himba character, Okorafor sows interest in the reader by exploring the themes of race, culture, and discrimination.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sophia is an online ESL/EFL instructor and a passionate educator. She found her true calling — teaching — while she was juggling writing and a 9-5 desk job. When she is not busy earning a living, she volunteers as a social worker. Her active online presence demonstrates her strong belief in the power of networking.
What is Binti by Nnedi Okorafor about?
Binti is a novella that tells the story of a young girl who leaves her home at the age of 16 because she’s been accepted to attend an intergalactic university. This girl, Binti, is a mathematical genius who hales from the Himba tribe in Namibia.
Why is Otjize applied to Binti's hair?
Otjize is applied over their skin and in their hair as protection against the desert sun. Through Binti’s thoughts, we come to understand that her people aren’t happy with her leaving. The Himba ‘don’t travel’, they ‘stay put’.
What happens when Binti finds herself on the ship that is to carry her to the distant planet?
When Binti finds herself on the ship that is to carry her to the distant planet (with only a 5% human population), she experiences the normal things that a girl of her kind is subject to in the real world when forced to step away from their home for the first time.
What species is Binti's ship?
Soon enough, Binti’s ship comes under fire from a jellyfish-like species, and it’s here where Binti’s uniqueness comes into play. She is the only one that can negotiate peace with these dangerous lifeforms, and she must do it before her ship is due to board its destination.
