Week Five: Akata Witch!

Witches in general have always fascinated me. Not only the magic aspect behind it, but the message that they carry as well.

To me, witches are women who have reached their highest level of self-respect, who have fully embraced their true power and become one with nature — they are free and independent women. That however, is an aspect which seems terrifying to our misogynistic society, and thus we are often faced with the classic horror representation of witches, with their pointy hats and long ugly noses, who corrupt little girls and curses all those who dare to cross their path.

Living in a Patriarchal and misogynistic society has been a reality of ours for many decades, it is deep into our roots, sadly embedded in our souls to such an extent that most of us grow used to it. Sunny, from Akata Witch, is no different than us in that aspect.

Sunny is also a women surrounded by misogyny everywhere — from the school grounds to her own home, being unable to play soccer for it being a "boy's game" — however, she does not seem affected by it. Or is she? Of course she does not agree with it, but to her, this situation is just like any other. It is not that she does not mind or does not care but rather she learned to live with it, because it's so common. And that is the reality we live in.

In a way, to our protagonist (and even some of us), this misogyny she faces is pretty much like mosquitoes: it's everywhere, it's annoying and does not make sense to exist, but we learn to live with it for the most part. And much like mosquitoes, although they suck on our blood and make us itchy, they are small and quick to kill if you are quick to slap at the right time and place. They may be fast, and there may be a number of them, but they aren't indestructible.

And that is exactly what happens in Akata Witch, no not the mosquito part, but rather this sudden realization that she has the power to change things, to protect herself and the ones she loves.

In the story we are met with an outcast Nigerian girl, Sunny, who is a "hybrid" (as they like to refer to her) in several different ways. She is seen as a weak and powerless girl, who can't even stand staying under the sun for too long due to her sensitive skin as an albino. But as the story progress, we alongside her discover that there is more hidden than we realize. We join her into her journey to discover her true powers and potentials, as well as her venturing into the aspects of women-hood and the different obstacles that come with it — the "witch trials" as they like to call it, which are nothing more than a series of obstacles that we are faced with throughout life that helps shape us into the person we are eventually going to become.

Thus, to me, witches are the representation of women empowerment at it's core. They are women that don't necessarily need to have supernatural powers, but rather those that have mastered the arts of their true nature and are not afraid to use it. They are free from any patriarchal roots, venturing in the wilds alone or in groups of others like themselves, in search for knowledge and understanding of both natural and unnatural. They have completely embraced their nature of fertility and seduction and the powers of which those come with. Witches are simply women that are not afraid of being a women.