The Inventor of Africanfuturism: Nnedi Okorafor’s Work Ethic
Nnedi Okorafor is an award-winning New York Times Bestselling writer of science fiction and fantasy for both children and adults. The more specific terms for her works are africanfuturism and africanjujuism.
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Introduction
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The Story Weaver
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The Memoir
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Work Ethic
Organised chaos. Nnedi Okorafor's work ethic is obvious; highly productive to the benefit of the rest of us, yet it seems to emerge from a creative instinct that enforces discipline rather than rigid discipline that enforces creative flow. One could say she writes in the same way she learns: by following her curiosity, by allowing the compulsion to tell a story to lead her, and then she is lost to the work—a clairvoyant vessel of the storyteller powers. Blatantly gifted with the vocation of ancestral forces rioting to emerge from her for the sake of the rest of us.
I wonder what cost such natural powers, such a gift to be a channel, an embodied cosmic energy seeking to remain unrestrained, comes with. At what price does one get to be this great?
Well, the suffering in body and mind which preceded her crafting, her launch as a storytelling writer, seems to have answered that question. A caterpillar emerges from its cocoon, a metamorphosis that kills so many others. We, in turn, are seeded with the good fortune of witnessing the existence of the butterfly. A newly made creature that brings beauty to our eyes, one made to stand out in its flight. Yet it remains clear to me that its survival, which made it so great, is the very thing that also makes it so fragile and vulnerable. If one gets in close enough proximity, they get to see that all that is left from emerging from such suffering into a glorious gift is the natural burden of being utterly human and beautiful.
Nnedi Okorafor's humanness, the ordinariness she maintains as she puts out such great works into the world so consistently, is what makes it so honorable and remarkable. Anyone who has ever attempted to write anything consistently, even from a well of abundant creative energy, knows that to do it well, you must be extraordinarily disciplined or a mad genius or both.
Nnedi Okorafor, to my eye, is a genius who knows how to keep doing what she so clearly loves.
Big Masquerade
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Africanfuturism & Africanjujuism
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My Favorite Interviews
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Published Works
as of 2026
Comics
For Younger Readers
Adult fiction
My One Sentence Reviews On Nnedi Okorafor’s Published Works
LONG JUJU MAN: A fun, fascinating, and easy read—I loved the masquerades as characters, the Long Juju Man’s trickster energy that brought to mind aspects of Agwu and Ekwensu archetypes, and the subtle hint at reincarnation; cool storytelling all around!
IKENGA: If I could wave a magic wand and place 1,000 copies of any book into 1,000 homes for young readers, this would be my obvious choice—Nnamdi is young, brave, naive, relatable, and utterly ordinary yet incredibly powerful, representing a beautifully human vision of Igbo possibilities in the kind of story I wish I had encountered as a child.
CHICKEN IN THE KITCHEN: A delightful reread—any writer who can bring a chicken so vividly to life and somehow turn it into a masquerade of sorts deserves every bit of respect they get as a master storyteller.
AKATA WITCH: Sunny Nwazue’s character arc was deeply invigorating for me; there’s something about her awakening that stirs the inner mystic in me as an Igbo child who grew up, and continues to grow, feeling neither fully here nor there, making this easily one of my favorite works of fiction, one I’ve read more than once and will certainly return to again.
THE SPACE CAT: Beautifully illustrated, thoroughly delightful, and genuinely funny, this delicious graphic novel captures cultural nuances around certain animals that invite both laughter and reflection.
SHURI SERIES: An incredibly enjoyable and aspirational series that reminded me why Nnedi Okorafor is such a prolific storyteller, sparked a new curiosity in me about comics and graphic novels as creative mediums, and left me reflecting on the fascinating esoteric idea that spiritual gifts may simply be ancestral memories finding expression through us.
The Search For Black Panther (2018)
24/7 Vibranium (2019)
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My Notes on Nnedi Okorafor
Once considered becoming an entomologist, loves “creepy-crawlies.”
A paralyzed athlete; went from being a super athlete to being physically numb, which became a catalyst.
Was a star tennis player.
Was diagnosed with scoliosis around the age of 13.
Had to (re)learn how to walk again at 19, literally.
The conflict of being an athlete and a nerd; occupying the liminal space of that truth is a lived reality i.e Okala.
Seems to have a connection to spiders. I draw + can see a connection to the spider totem — Udide the Cosmic Weaver.
Does not ascribe to or believe in “writers block,” does not acknowledge its presence.
She channels a lot of her work.
Wrote for 8 years without a thought of getting published because she enjoyed it so much.
Really enjoys the process and outcome of storytelling which is a great motivator.
Wrote her first story in 1994 or 1995, that long ago.
Really started writing at age of 19.
First novel was published in 2005.
She learns by following her interests in an instinctive manner.
Does not outline, simply goes with the flow of stories to do the work.
Loves learning new things.
Has various obsessions with technologies.
Really into robots.
Did a lot of schooling. Very important in her family (getting a phd).
Has a journalism masters degree.
Masters in literature.
a PHD in literature with an emphasis in creative writing.
a Professor and a Novelist.
Both of her parents are doctors, Nigerian (Igbo) immigrants.
Considers Nigeria to be her Muse.
‘Who Fears Death’ was inspired by the passing of her father.
She is an unapologetic feminist.
She really centers strong female characters in her work.
Deals with certain things by writing, translating them into stories.
She’s very sensitive to the stories of people around her and is always listening — paying attention.
She has dealt with her own serious share of grief (not that it ever goes away).
Does not care for categories and likes the freedom of telling whatever she wants.
She does not like labels.
Always felt a sense of ‘Otherness’.
Considers “Afrofuturism” a reductive term for her work. It doesn’t properly describe her work.
Came up with the terms ‘Africanfuturism’ and ‘Africanjujuism’ and wrote an essay where she describes those terms in her own words.
She has really really long (ground-touching-length) hair (locs).
She’s a mother, of a daughter.
She is VERY prolific.
Has won some of the biggest awards for science fiction writers, including the NEBULA and the HUGO awards.
Was a catalyst to changing the design of World Fantasy Award (Lovecraft).
Nnedi Okorafor’s work ethic is insane. She is willing to get intense when necessary, an example is the process of condensing hers word count for ‘Who Fears Death’ manuscript in the revision process, from 700+ pages to 300+ pages through a very physical revising process — took two years. If that isn’t commitment, I’m not sure what is.
*BINTI means girl in Arabic. Interesting.
Her philosophy around writing and advice to writers — JUST WRITE.
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