Akata Witch Themes

Twelve-year-old Sunny has never felt like she fits in anywhere. Though she, her parents, and her brothers are Nigerian, Sunny was born in the United States—so she feels out of place in the novel’s present in Nigeria, and she never felt at home in New York, either. To make things more difficult, Sunny is albino, something that her family and peers think makes her ugly and that, in Nigeria, means she attracts snide comments…

Being introduced to Leopard (magical) society introduces 12-year-old Sunny to a totally new way of thinking about the value of her own life versus the value of society as a whole. Sunny has grown up in the Lamb (nonmagical) world, so she’s been taught that her life is inherently valuable and expects authority figures to keep her safe. So it’s a shock for Sunny to be inducted into Leopard society and discover that Leopard People…

As 12-year-old Sunny discovers she’s a Leopard Person with magical powers and is inducted into Leopard society, she’s struck by how much emphasis Leopard society places on the role of education. On the whole, Akata Witch explores how education can give a person power and push them to value selfless endeavors over selfish pursuits—and what the consequences of forsaking education can be. Within the Leopard world and the logic of the novel, knowledge and education…