Africanfuturism and Climate Fiction: Nnedi Okorafor’s Noor as Environmental Testament

Abstract

Climate change poses a profound threat to humanity in the 21st century, with the past two decades witnessing unprecedented environmental and climatic upheaval. From wildfires in Chicago, Australia, major floods in the USA, Amazon forests, rising sea levels in several cities to alarming situations in the major cities all were interrelated with the huge impact of environmental degradation caused by humans over the last 50 years. The Clifi genre got its notice in 2009 and more during 2020. Writers focus more on the long-term sustainability of Earth and possible disasters caused by humans to Mother Earth. A noteworthy fiction that received worldwide attention was Nnedi Okorafor’s 2021Africanfuturistic fiction, Noor. The fiction’s plot follows AO, a woman in a near-future Nigeria who has augmented her deformed limbs with cybernetics, as she goes on the run after defending herself against an attack. Alongside a Fulani herdsman named DNA, they navigate a harsh landscape ravaged by environmental disasters and corporate exploitation, ultimately exploring themes of identity, resilience, and resistance against oppressive forces. This article explores the urgent need to protect the environment, which is being destroyed and could potentially be saved from catastrophic disasters