47 pages • 1-hour read
Remote Control
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Character Analysis
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.
Sankofa/Fatima
Sankofa, born Fatima, is the novella’s primary protagonist. She is 14 years old in the novella’s present, while it also flashes back to explore her childhood. At the age of seven, she leaves her birth village of Wulugu to travel across Ghana after she gains a mysterious power from a seed that falls during a meteor shower. The seed gives her the ability to cause death to anyone in her vicinity, earning her the nickname “The Daughter of Death” by the people of Ghana. As she travels, she is both feared and worshipped, as people flee from her, hide, or invite her into their homes and give her gifts. In this way, the novella is Sankofa’s origin story as a mythological being.
Sankofa’s primary motivation throughout the story is her pursuit of the seed which gave her her powers. After she finds the seed, her parents sell it to a politician, then the politician’s bodyguard steals it and travels across Ghana. After Sankofa inadvertently kills the people of Wulugu, including her own family, she struggles to fit into society largely because of her power. She never truly belongs, as she is either ostracized or worshipped by the people she encounters. Sankofa spends several years seeking the man who stole the seed, then kills him when she learns that he gave it away. It is only once Sankofa stops looking for the seed that she finds it in a marketplace in RoboTown. Ultimately, Sankofa’s journey to find the seed reflects her journey of growth and development, emphasizing the theme of Redefining the Self After Trauma and Change.
Sankofa changes throughout the novella as she learns to accept her power for what it is. When she first leaves Wulugu, she hides in the forest, refusing to use her power and pretending that it doesn’t exist. However, after she dreams of her aunt who scolds her for hiding, Sankofa begins her journey across Ghana. When she gets to RoboTown and befriends Alhaja, Sankofa tries to suppress her power. Through her conversation in the mosque with Sister Kumi, Sankofa realizes that, if she wants to fit into humanity again, she needs to repress both her power and her past trauma. However, this only leads to more trauma for Sankofa, as she inadvertently causes the death of a young boy, then kills several citizens of RoboTown, including Alhaja, when her power is finally unleashed.
Ultimately, Sankofa’s subsequent return to the forest allows her to finally change and redefine who she is. After spending months in the presence of the farmers, who allow her to exist as a human and not as a deity, Sankofa realizes that she needs to return home to the village of Wulugu to truly begin to heal from her trauma. As Sankofa looks out over the tree farm and makes the conscious decision to destroy the seeds planted by LifeGen, it reflects her decision to accept her power for what it is: both good and bad. In that moment, Sankofa truly uses her power for good and decides to live with it as just one part of herself. By acknowledging the evil of her power, through her confrontation with the memories of her family, she is now prepared to move on and accept the person she has become.
Sankofa’s character is an embodiment of African cultural identity, particularly the Akan concept within her name, “Sankofa,” which means “to go back and get it.” The novella’s structure, which begins in the present, then returns to Sankofa’s childhood, reflects Sankofa’s journey throughout the novella. Although she moves forward both in time and in her quest across Ghana, she works backward in search of truth. Although she forgets the name “Fatima” when she experiences the trauma of killing the Wulugu villagers, she regains the knowledge in the moment when she returns to the past and fuses her two identities. She has to literally “go back” to her place of origin, an act which metaphorically allows her to move forward with her identity formation.
Additionally, her choice to wear traditional Ghanaian clothing, speak the Twi language, and her inability to use technology underscore the tension surrounding The Duality of Technology. Although she experiences many benefits of technology throughout her journey, she travels only by foot, is unable to use a cell phone or other technology, and ultimately destroys both the robocop and LifeGen’s plan, the two strongest representations of technology in the novel. Ultimately, Sankofa’s character emphasizes the importance of remembering the past, both for individuals and for the larger nation of Africa as a whole.
Movenpick
Movenpick is the fox that follows Sankofa around throughout the novella. He originally escapes from a nearby zoo when Sankofa is a child, then wanders into her yard and spends much of his time there with Sankofa. He leaves Wulugu with her, following her across Ghana in her quest to find the seed.
As the only figure in the novella immune to Sankofa’s power, Movenpick serves as an important companion and source of comfort for Sankofa. While she is isolated from most of humanity because of her deadly power, Movenpick’s immunity allows him to remain by her side and survive both her accidental and intentional uses of her power. Although Movenpick is largely distant from Sankofa, not allowing her to touch him or disappearing into the forest, this changes when Sankofa is most desperate for personal connection.
After Sankofa nearly dies from the leopard, her relationship with Movenpick shifts, as he begins to sleep by her side and welcomes Sankofa’s touch. In this way, Movenpick’s character serves as a reminder that Sankofa both needs and is deserving of companionship, despite her deadly power. Although Sankofa is constantly isolated, both by her own actions and by how humanity views her, Movenpick gives her hope that she can fit into humanity when she finally accepts herself. At the same time, Movenpick emphasizes Sankofa’s existence as more-than-human, as he is a wild animal choosing to behave more like a domesticated companion.
Movenpick bridges the gap between who Sankofa was and who she has become: He was with her as “Fatima” and remains with her through her quest to redefine herself. His loyalty underscores her ability to exist in the human world despite everything she has been through.
Alhaja Ujala
Alhaja is Sankofa’s only human friend throughout the novella. She is the owner of Mr. Starlit Electronics in RoboTown. Sankofa first meets her while she is sitting outside her electronics store waiting for the newest shipment of electronics. Sankofa then befriends her after she stands guard outside Alhaja’s store, scaring off any potential thieves or danger that the shipment would bring.
From their first meeting, Sankofa notes how Alhaja is atypical to most people who meet her, as she is unafraid and willingly invites Sankofa into her home. Although this is partially self-motivated, as she needs protection for her store, Alhaja then provides Sankofa with a home to stay in for several months in RoboTown, encouraging her to go to the mosque and become a part of human society in their small village.
Alhaja serves largely as a mentor figure to Sankofa. She provides Sankofa with one option for living with her power: Repress it and live as other humans do. She provides Sankofa with the tools to do this, giving her a home and introducing her to people like Sister Kumi within the village, and always treating Sankofa as if she is just like everyone else. Ultimately, however, Alhaja’s guidance fails Sankofa, as it encourages her to repress a part of herself. Although Sankofa longs to be part of RoboTown, her power and her inability to interact with electronics prevents her from fully assimilating. Regardless, Alhaja has a profound impact on Sankofa, as her friendship allows her to feel as though she can still have human connection despite her deadly power.
As a business owner, woman, and native Ghanaian, Alhaja also plays an important role in the emphasis placed on traditional African life within the novel. Alhaja bridges the gap between the technological future and the traditional Ghanaian past; she is a technology store owner with “circuitry tattoos” (88), while still collecting ceremonial masks and encouraging Sankofa to attend the mosque. Alhaja emphasizes the importance of the journey that Sankofa goes on throughout the text, as due to Alhaja’s kindness, acceptance, and lack of judgment, she suggests that humanity and technology can live together hand-in-hand.
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