In Nnedi Okorafor’s captivating fantasy novel Akata Witch, first published in 2011, knowledge takes center stage. Sunny Nwazue, the main protagonist, grapples with her dual identity as an albino girl born in America but living in Nigeria. Her unique physical appearance makes her a subject of ridicule and a victim of bullying. At the beginning of the book, she sees a vision inside a candle: the end of the world. Without a full understanding, this vision only confuses and scares her. She soon discovers that she belongs to magical Leopard People and begins to read the “Fast Facts for Free Agents” book. Through the book and various adventures, she is awakened to a part of herself that was unknown to her previously. She later joins three other Leopard people to bring down Black Hat Otokoto, a corrupt serial killer whose misuse of knowledge led to his demise. I like Akata Witch because of its portrayal of knowledge: it enlightens and empowers people to achieve great things. However, it can also lead to self-destruction if used with evil intentions, such as greed for wealth and power. Knowledge, as portrayed in the book, is a double-edged sword that could be very powerful if used properly but can also cause great harm. The theme of knowledge weaves throughout the story. Sunny’s journey is one of empowerment and self-discovery. As she delves into magical texts and faces life-altering challenges, she learns to embrace her unique identity. Her physical appearance, once a source of ridicule, becomes a powerful tool. The narrator uses a series of events to describe how she becomes more confident and courageous. For example, the first time she sees the slippery bridge to Leopard Knocks, she is too scared to cross. Her later crossing of the bridge comes naturally and liberating, summoning her spirit face and accompanying music. With the newfound confidence, she stands up for herself and wins a fight against Jibaku, a school bully. She goes from a bullied, shy, pathetic, and isolated child with low self-esteem into a confident warrior. The best illustration of how knowledge empowers Sunny to garner the inner strength to defeat the most powerful evil enemy occurs in the battle with Ekwensu at the climax of the novel. In this final battle, Sunny has an epiphany – a sudden complete understanding of her calling and destiny – that knowledge from all her experience empowered her with courage and unimaginable power to defeat Ekwensu. While knowledge is powerful, it does not equate with wisdom and making the right choices. When used for personal vengeance or greed, knowledge leads to severe negative consequences. Both Sunny and her friend Chichi have faced discipline after they misused their knowledge and spiritual capabilities for petty vengeance. Black Hat Otokoto, the murderous and psychotic main antagonist of the book, is exceedingly hungry for wealth and power. Otokoto’s abuse of knowledge turns him into a twisted serial killer, which leads to his own destruction. As a reader, I connected with Sunny’s struggles. Like her, I have questioned my own identity: Am I Asian? Am I American? The book resonated with my dual heritage, emphasizing the importance of embracing both sides. It deepened my empathy for marginalized kids who navigate complex identities and face special challenges. Akata Witch invites us to explore our own calling and hidden strengths. While defeating supernatural enemies might not be our reality, the journal of self-discovery remains universal. So, my fellow readers, open Akata Witch, dive into its magical world, wield knowledge wisely, and uncover our inner magic! Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. Speak, 2017. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
ROBOMIND Ep. 5: A Whole New World
https://stonesoup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/A-whole-New-world.m4a Episode #5: A Whole New World Transcript: Hello, my name is Misha Ahmed, and I am your host of this podcast series called ROBOMIND. I know you may be wondering, what does ROBOMIND mean? For those of you who haven’t been here for the last three episodes–I mean now four–go check those out, but to get back on track ROBOMIND is a combination of two things: robotics and mind. I love robotics, and I believe that it shapes how you think, and it shapes your mind. That is why I called my podcast ROBOMIND. A small tidbit about me is that I am 12 years old. I am absolutely head over heels for robotics. And I can’t wait to let you know a little more about it. Also, right now I sound a little kooky because I have lost my voice. But don’t worry, I’ll still bring my fun, bubbly personality. The name of this episode is bumbumbum “A Whole New World” named after the Aladdin song. You know I always keep up that Disney theme. I called the episode this because I am going to be talking about the brand new Vex iq game for this year. RAPID RELAY!!! Before we get into all of that fun stuff, how about we get on to what has been stuck in your mind literally since the last episode. THE RIDDLE! I am going to repeat it one last time before I reveal the answer, so listen carefully if you didn’t hear it before or if you don’t remember it. Okay, ready. You find me in the past, and I can be created in the present, but the future is never mine. What am I? If you didn’t get to hear it last time pause and think of your answer. Now that you have heard it again, it is time for the answer doodododooooo: history. When I heard this riddle at first, I thought it’s got to be memories, and I think if you thought that too both of our answers are right: history and memories. Now that we have got that all done. It is time for the robotics stuff. Allow me to tell you all about the fast, fun, and fantastic game called Rapid Relay. The game elements that you use to score are tiny, padded Balls, approximately 6 inches in diameter. They kind of look like tiny, little soccer balls. The main objectives of the game are to pass the Balls between robots, score Balls through targets, and clear switches which are these little green circles in the middle of the targets that will flip out of the way once you hit them. Balls are introduced to the field through the Loading Station or, during the last 15 seconds of a match, a Rapid Load Zone. A Rapid Load Zone is where the match loaders are able to place the balls in any of the legal starting places. One thing that is new to all of us this year is that the driving teams will have three members: two drivers and 1 match loader. We have seen this a lot in VRC but not much in IQ. This has a lot of us on our toes because it is going to add a whole new aspect to the game. Points are awarded based on how many goals are scored, how many switches have been cleared, and how many times the Alliance successfully passed the Ball before scoring it. I hope you are paying attention if you want to know what things you can do to rack up the most points and win! Now it is time for the infamous part of the episode: the riddle! This one is complex, so please make sure to listen. I am only going to say it once, so you might want to pause and prepare yourself. Maybe grab a pencil and paper to write down the different clues. Okay, here we go. EPISODE #4 RIDDLE: There is a briefcase with 1 million dollars in it. However, it is locked. To open it you need a 4-digit code. Each number increased in value from the left to right for example 1258. No two successive digits had an even difference such as 2 or 4. This means that if your first number was 2 and your second digit was 4, this couldn’t work. The sum of all four digits was 22. There is no 0 in the combination. After all these clues, you are left with a couple of options, the numerically lowest of them all is the correct code. Hopefully, you wrote down all of those clues. Also, disclaimer, if you get it, I am not giving you 1 million dollars; I barely have 20 dollars in my bank account. That was just for the sake of the riddle. Keep your gears turning. I love you guys so so much. Thank you to all of you guys who kept making comments. You guys are so amazing. I loved seeing your thoughts and ideas. Thank you again so so much! A little hint to next episode, we will be doing something new and super exciting! This is your host Misha Ahmed of ROBOMIND signing off!
15 Years Later, The Risks of Training Orcas Remain
In 2010, there was a tragic accident at the SeaWorld in Orlando. For many years, aquariums have kept killer whales, or orcas, captive for entertainment, and bred them for many generations. They took them from the water, separated them from their pod and family, and kept them in captivity until they died. This is a poor choice for aquariums looking for entertainment, since orcas are at the top of the ocean food chain. A 40-year-old trainer, Dawn, was the star at SeaWorld. She took care of a 5-ton orca, Tilikum. Big animals never do well in captivity, and they tend to strike back. Tilikum killed two other people before Dawn, a trainer and a homeless man. Dawn knew that what she did was dangerous, but she never thought that something bad would happen to her. At a show in SeaWorld, Dawn laid down next to Tilikum on a shallow part of the tank. According to further evidence, Dawn’s ponytail got wedged into Tilikum’s mouth. Acting on pure instinct, Tilikum pulled Dawn into the water. Orcas are known to play with their food before they kill and eat them, which is exactly what happened. Dawn was not only drowned, but her left arm was torn from its socket. Dawn was also scalped, with her hair and skin found at the bottom of the pool. Horrifically, her spinal cord was severed, and she also suffered from broken ribs and a broken jaw; a post-mortem revealed she died from both drowning and blunt force injury. Dawn’s death sparked some changes. There was a documentary made about the orca entertainment program at SeaWorld, called Blackfish, that raised attention to Dawn’s death and the mistreatment of orcas in captivity. There was also a lawsuit and government investigation into SeaWorld’s practices. As a result, SeaWorld has now stopped its orca breeding program. However, SeaWorld could not release its remaining four orcas because they lived their whole lives in captivity, and it would be cruel to put them back into the ocean. So, these orcas continue to perform, although they are given more flexibility in current shows. For example, if they don’t want to come out, they are not forced to, and they get fish as treats no matter if they perform tricks or not. When these four orcas die of natural causes, SeaWorld does not plan to obtain any more orcas. I think that this episode proves a point for marine biology, which is that, if we had not held animals captive to perform tricks, the tragedy could have been avoided. However, we can make change out of tragedy, like stopping animals from being held to perform tricks.
