Nigerian-American writer on magical realism and how literature provides Africa with a mirror to inspect itself

Nnedi Okorafor, Nigerian-American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction in an interview with the Ake festival team speaks about afro futurism, magical realism and how literature provides Africa with a mirror to inspect itself.

She also spoke on how her anger at the depiction of Nigerians in the film District 9 inspired her to write Lagoon, a book about alien invasion of Lagos and how Lagosians of all walks of life handled it.

Nnedi Okroafor is an American-born daughter of Igbo Nigerian parents. Her novels and stories reflect both her West African heritage and her American life.

Okorafor is a 2001 graduate of the Clarion Writers Workshop in Lansing, Michigan, and holds a PhD in English from the University of Illinois, Chicago.

The United Bank for Africa recently partnered with Cassava Republic to distribute 24,000 copies of her books in 9 African countries.

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