5/19/2023 0 Comments Lagoon nnedi okorafor analysisWhile at first glance Lagoon may appear to exist in the gray area between science fiction and fantasy, a deeper look reveals that Lagoon falls on the side of science fiction. Suvin’s argument relies on a typical Western understanding of science, but the understanding of science and religion in Nigeria is different from Suvin’s. 1 In seeking to define the genre, Darko Suvin posits a hard line between science fiction and other forms of literature and argues that “SF is fully as opposed to supernatural or metaphysical estrangement as it is to naturalism or empiricism.” 2 The question of what counts as science can be unclear. The inclusion of elements that are not situated within the bounds of science raises the question “Is this science fiction?” According to Nigerian history scholar Onwuka Njoku, “to the contemporary mind … technology and religion are regarded as opposites,” so it stands to reason that a contemporary mind wouldn’t see Lagoon as science fiction. Using the traditional science fiction trope of an alien invasion, Lagoon contains elements of fantasy and Nigerian mythology. Though Lagoon and The War of the Worlds both tell the story of an alien invasion, the way Okorafor explores colonialism is distinct from any works European SF could produce. Nnedi Okorafor’s Lagoon, however, takes place in Nigeria, a country that was colonized, not a colonizer. In European science fiction this exploration often occurs by turning colonial ideologies around and making Europe the victim, as for example in H.G. Much of science fiction explores the idea of colonialism.
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