LaGuardia Reflection

                In reading LaGuardia, I found myself so drawn into the world Okorafor and Ford created. I’m not used to reading many graphic novels, so reading LaGuardia was an unusual experience for me. But I found that the use of illustrations truly added to the story—especially with the aliens. Okorafor’s frame for the narrative clearly comes from Trump’s travel ban (which thankfully has been ended). But what truly interested me was Citizen’s involvement with the Biafra movement. I know relatively little about Nigeria’s history (and most of West Africa as well), but Okorafor’s use of Citizen as a complicated foil to Future brought a deeper element to the narrative that I truly appreciated. Citizen, as we learn, supports the movement to secede from Nigeria and create a “pure” land for people separate from the Nigeria full of aliens. This cause stems from the real event of Biafra’s succession and the Nigerian Civil War, in which Igbo people—facing persecution and oppression in Nigeria (further exacerbated by a mass killing in the mid 1960s) sought to create their own independent state. I find Okorafor’s inclusion of the Biafra movement interesting as in this narrative, it comes from both persecution and racist nationalism against aliens. Given the context, I understand Citizen’s attraction to the movement and the difficulties that his balcony refuge presented him.

                  Another part of the story that stood out to me was the creation of the floral people, specifically with the character of Letme Live. Certainly, the names were a little on the nose, but the image of an alien as a life-giving, beautiful (and sentient) plant certainly pushes against the fearful narratives we’ve seen in other science fiction. As Okorafor pointed out in her notes, many narratives revolving around invasion have a colonial lens—they fear invasion, violence, a lack of understanding. But Okorafor creates a world in which aliens seamlessly weave themselves into society. They bring new technologies, new medical advancements, and new cultures to Earth. Okorafor presents them as more than just allies—for Future, her grandmother, and even Citizen, they’re community (and possibly, even, family). Especially in Letme Live’s journey, we see compassionate collaboration between humans and aliens—and the results are beautiful. Seeing how Letme lives on in Future, Citizen, their child, and the rest of his race is powerful and awe-inspiring. And the use of green—which already signifies growth and new life—further cements this beautiful collaboration. I truly enjoyed LaGuardia and I’m inspired to read Okorafor’s other work now, as well. 

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