Binti

In Okorafor’s Binti: The Complete Trilogy, the lens of science fiction allows the author to address modern issues of society’s construct of gender in a futuristic context. In a world of hyper-advanced science and space travel, gender continues to divide individuals and is constructed less by any scientific attribute and more by its socialization.

The intricacies of gender are evident through the character of Haifa. Gender is another journey that is determined by each person’s individual choices. Haifa “was born physically male and […] transitioned to female” (65) at the age of 13. Haifa’s terminology is akin to the current vocabulary surrounding transgender, intersex, and non-binary gender discourse. Although the Khoush believe themselves to be more advanced than the savage Himba and Enyi Zinariya, the latter two groups see gender as less of a “transition” and more of a natural correction of something intangible and unique to the individual. Binti explains the way Himba view gender:

‘Back home, we called people like Haifa eanda oruzo, but they weren’t so open about it. And we didn’t say ‘transition,’ we said ‘align’ and once they align, it was never mentioned again. Amongst the Himba, you ‘were what you knew you were once you knew what you were and that was that,’ to quote my village’s

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