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Chapter 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Akata Witch, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Identity and Belonging
The Individual vs. the Collective
Friendship and Teamwork
Education, Power, and Corruption
Summary
Analysis
In the conclusion of Fast Facts for Free Agents, Isong repeats again that a free agent is doomed to die. Free agents should simply stay put and be unambitious—they should learn only the basics and should stay on the periphery of the Leopard world. In all caps, the book warns the reader to keep their Leopard identity secret from Lamb friends and relations, as there are terrible consequences for telling the truth.
This passage from Fast Facts is extremely ironic, given that Sunny was essentially just tasked with saving the world—the exact opposite of what this passage advises. But this may also speak to the author’s prejudice: she doesn’t expect someone like Sunny to be as powerful as it seems like Sunny is.
Themes
Over the next two months, Sunny gets the hang of doing homework for two schools. She reads Fast Facts for Free Agents, learns basic juju, and practices calling forth her spirit face. The Nsibidi book is very interesting, and Sunny slowly starts to figure out how to read the wiggling symbols. She makes it through a third of the first page, on which Sugar Cream writes that her book won’t be a bestseller. The information in Advanced Juju Knife Jujus is also beyond Sunny’s comprehension. Sunny’s mother seems happy with Sunny, but Sunny’s father avoids her. Chukwu and Ugonna play soccer with her more often, and they sometimes watch movies together.
Things are starting to settle for Sunny. She’s learning new skills, is being challenged in both schools, and is feeling more and more like she fits into the Leopard world. Because of Sunny’s fraught relationship with her father, she doesn’t seem to pay much mind to his avoidance—but this does suggest that they could experience more conflict going forward. Sunny’s mother, on the other hand, seems simply pleased that Sunny is acting like she’s found her place.
Themes
One Monday, Sunny wakes up happy—she had a breakthrough the night before with the Nsibidi book. But when she opens her newspaper and reads that Black Hat Otokoto abducted a boy and cut his ears off, Sunny throws the paper. She’s certain she can’t do anything if the Scholars can’t stop Otokoto. At lunch, she and Orlu discuss the news. Sunny grows grimmer and snappier as the day goes on—and then, after school, Jibaku pushes Sunny. Jibaku’s boyfriend drives up outside the school and taunts Orlu, and Jibaku launches herself at Sunny. Sunny has brothers—she knows how to fight—but as more kids pile on, Sunny’s anger grows. She calls her spirit face and roars, frightening Jibaku.
Sunny feels good about life until she’s reminded that she’s supposed to take on Black Hat Otokoto soon, something that makes her feel childish and powerless. This makes her even more susceptible to Jibaku’s bullying. It’s a sign of how much pressure Sunny is under that she snaps and shows Jibaku her spirit face. Recall that Sunny is supposed to keep everything to do with Leopard society and her identity secret; she’s likely broken a rule by trying to intimidate Jibaku.
Themes
Jibaku and the other kids run away and Orlu walks for home with Sunny, who’s limping. But they only get a few steps before a Mercedes pulls up next to them. The driver rolls down her window and tells Sunny to get in: she must go to the Obi Library for punishment. Sunny calls her mother and tells her that she’s having dinner with Chichi and Orlu. Then, she falls asleep until the driver wakes her up outside of the Obi Library. Sunny waves at some passing students and then enters the library, which is filled with stacked books and people performing juju.
Suddenly, showing her spirit face to Jibaku doesn’t seem like it was such a good idea: Sunny is clearly in deep trouble. That Leopard elders know exactly when people break rules speaks to how much Leopard society values the collective: they don’t want someone like Sunny to blow their cover, so it’s essential that they punish individualistic actions like Sunny took. This is how Leopard society stays a secret and a safe place for all Leopard people.
Themes
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Sunny approaches the “WETIN?” (help) desk, and the man there instantly knows who she is. He calls for a woman named Samya to take Sunny upstairs. Sunny is upset with herself—her first time in the Obi Library is as a criminal. Samya leads Sunny to the third floor and refuses to say anything. When they reach a door, Samya knocks and tells Sunny to wait until she’s called. Nothing happens for five minutes. Sunny wants to sit, but there are red spiders everywhere. Finally, after another 10 minutes, Sunny opens the door. There’s an old woman inside. Sunny apologizes, but the woman says that only those who want to enter can do so. Sunny asks if she should’ve left, and the woman cryptically says, “Maybe.”
Recall that Sunny has always been a good student, and she seems to value following rules and staying on the good side of authority figures. So it’s unsettling to be treated like a “criminal.” The way the old woman frames the expectations around entering the room suggests that Leopard society wants people to take responsibility for their actions, as Sunny does essentially by entering at all. It’s a choice, this implies, to take responsibility for one’s actions, just as it’s a choice to use one’s education for good and to help others.
Themes
The woman tells Sunny to sit on the floor (she doesn’t deserve a chair) and asks if Sunny is sorry. Sunny isn’t—so the woman says Sunny will be flogged or locked in the library’s basement with frightening creatures. Sunny starts to cry and begs for mercy. Softly, the woman confirms that Sunny is a free agent. She warns Sunny that the council always knows when people break rules. Next time, Sunny will be flogged and imprisoned for a week, and next time Sunny gets in a fight, she should fight fair. The woman then asks Sunny how the Leopard world has been. Sunny is too nervous to answer, so the woman says that Sunny can’t behave as she did. She expects better—and she expected Anatov to introduce Sunny to her later, under different circumstances. Sunny realizes she’s speaking to Sugar Cream.
Leopard society, Sugar Cream makes clear, takes punishment very seriously—it’s part of how they protect the collective and encourage Leopard People, especially young ones, to behave. Sunny, however, is too nervous and feels too out of her depth to realize this—and she’s also still too angry and emotional about Jibaku. So at the moment, Sunny feels overwhelmingly like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. And discovering that this woman is Sugar Cream is another nasty shock for Sunny. Sunny has been starting to admire Sugar Cream ever since she was initiated, so disappointing her makes this punishment even worse.
Themes
Exhausted and afraid, Sunny breaks the silence by asking how Sugar Cream got her name. Smiling, Sugar Cream says she walked out of the forest as a little child, and the only way a man could coax her in was with a creamy, sugary cup of tea. That man raised her; she doesn’t know where her “true” parents are. Sugar Cream stands and Sunny sees that she has severe scoliosis. As Sugar Cream leads Sunny out into the library, Sunny wonders if Sugar Cream’s parents abandoned her because of the scoliosis—but don’t Leopard People celebrate things like that? Seeming to read her thoughts, Sugar Cream sharply tells Sunny not to stare, that she wasn’t born this way, and that she believes her parents were killed.
Even though Sugar Cream is angry and disappointed with Sunny, she still takes the opportunity to educate Sunny and share her story. This shows that she’s not vindictive, at least when it comes to kids making mistakes. For her part, Sunny is still trying to fit Leopard culture and values into a neat system. Sugar Cream’s story doesn’t make much sense to Sunny if she’s experienced abuse and discrimination because of her scoliosis. This, of course, ignores that Sunny herself has continued to experience teasing due to her albinism, even among Leopard People.
Themes
Sugar Cream and Sunny continue to wander through the library, and Sunny asks what Sugar Cream’s ability is. Sugar Cream says she’s a shape-shifter, like Sunny—but Sunny says she’s not a shape-shifter. Very seriously, Sugar Cream says she can turn into a snake, but Sunny’s ability to shape-shift is spiritual. Sunny can become invisible because she can literally step into the spirit world, but Sunny probably hasn’t done this yet—it would require Sunny to die a little bit. Sugar Cream asks if Sunny wants to learn, and Sunny says she doesn’t. Who wants to learn to die?
Sunny is still on guard and doesn’t see Sugar Cream as an ally, so it’s uncomfortable to have Sugar Cream say with such certainty that she knows exactly what Sunny is. And because Sunny also sees Leopard society (which is responsible for punishing her) as her enemy at the moment, she’s hesitant to express interest in learning more. Her fear, in other words, keeps her from being open and willing to experiment.
Themes
Sugar Cream and Sunny have now reached Sugar Cream’s office again. Once they’re inside, Sugar Cream shares that Anatov was going to bring Sunny in two weeks so that Sugar Cream could decide whether to take Sunny on as a mentee—but after Sunny’s bad behavior, it’s not an easy choice. Privately, Sunny hates how Orlu, Sasha, and Chichi have mentors and seem to have such an easy life in the Leopard world. Sugar Cream reminds Sunny that she’s the one who misbehaved, so it’s her own fault that she might not get a mentor.
Now that Sugar Cream and Sunny have built up a rapport, Sugar Cream can again encourage Sunny to take responsibility for her actions. The consequence for scaring Jibaku is that she’s not going to be just like her friends and have a mentor separate from Anatov—so Sunny’s selfishness essentially deprives her of more opportunities to learn. And Sunny still feels like she’s on the outside because she doesn’t have the years of experience in the Leopard world that her friends do.
Themes
Sighing, Sugar Cream says that there’s still no doubt that Sunny should be involved with the Oha coven. When Sunny asks why, Sugar Cream sadly explains that Sunny’s grandmother, Ozoemena, was Otokoto’s mentor—and Otokoto killed her to steal her abilities and become the Black Hat. Soon after, Sugar Cream sends Sunny home. Sunny feels worthless and childish, like a criminal—and she’s ashamed that her grandmother taught a serial killer. She falls asleep on her schoolbooks by 11:00 p.m.
It's interesting that Sunny blames her grandmother for teaching Otokoto, rather than Otokoto for killing her grandmother. This might simply reflect Sunny’s low mood and her feelings that she’s a criminal, however. Despite these low feelings, Sunny remains dedicated to her education, as shown by the fact that she’s falling asleep on her homework.
Themes
In the middle of the night, Sunny wakes up to knocking on her window. There’s a tiny light in the window, like the one that watched over Sunny when she had malaria—but it’s just a firefly. Outside, Orlu hisses for Sunny to come down. Sunny turns invisible and swoops out the window. Sasha and Chichi hug Sunny, and Sasha tells her he saw the council once—they caned him 20 times and sent him to Nigeria. Sunny tells her friends what Sugar Cream said about Ozoemena, and Sasha starts to say that Otokoto must’ve eaten some of Ozoemena’s flesh. Sunny is ready to vomit. Orlu asks Sunny to find out as much as she can about her grandmother. They’ll learn more about Black Hat if they know what her grandmother could do. Back in her bedroom, Sunny feels better about her grandmother—she wasn’t a criminal.
Even though Sunny misbehaved and now feels worthless and alone, her friends are still around to comfort her. Sasha makes it seem like a perfectly normal thing for kids to end up in serious trouble, which helps Sunny start to feel better. Learning that Otokoto may have eaten Ozoemena is wildly disturbing to Sunny, and it helps her shift the blame in her mind from Ozoemena to Otokoto. Otokoto, she realizes now, is the one who committed (and continues to commit) heinous crimes—her grandmother was a victim, and she’s someone Sunny can look up to if she wants.
Themes
