Review of Kabu Kabu by Nnedi Okorafor

The magnificent collection Kabu Kabu is a thrilling testament to Nnedi Okorafor as a writer of fiction, particularly short story fiction. Okorafor’s short stories test the bounds of the Sci-Fi genre through imaginative explorations of the real world in which each story and its setting bring into question the world around us, the nature of humanity and the impact of humanity on our planet. 

A personal favourite of mine from this collection is ‘Spider the Artist‘. The short story is told from the view of a young Nigerian artist who is unhappily married and feels stuck in her relationship and village. Through the eyes of our protagonist and narrator, we explore life within the small Nigerian town and the issues people face in day-to-day life as a site of Nigeria’s oil wells. The story also explores the complicated relationship between the Nigerian villages and their country’s most infamous export, oil and how it brings money and wealth to the economy but brings far more problems to the small town and its people.  

Our narrator’s village is again impacted by the oil pipelines as her home becomes infested with spider-like robots called Anansi Droids (paying homage to the trickster African spider god) designed to protect the oil pipelines near our protagonist’s home. However, through this close proximity to the pipelines, our narrator beings a curious relationship with an Anansi Droid. ’Spider the Artist‘ centres around exploring the young narrator’s life and her growing relationship with one of the Anansi droid spiders while still bringing into light many environmental and social issues from mass oil exportation and its impacts on the lives of villagers.  

‘Spider the Artist‘ is the perfect example of Okorafor’s writing and her ability to make the usual uncanny and strange. However, it is only one of many short stories from Kabu Kabu that capture the imagination with a fantastical premise while exploring the real world. Nnedi Okorafor’s short story collection is a must-read for any lover of short fiction and those with a taste for unusual and genre-pushing Sci-Fi. 

By Marcia, Information Adviser at York St John University.