Big thanks to Antonia for help with the Igbo patterns which you can read about on her site. The pattern around Anwuli's belly is a talisman for pregnant women. Read the whole story as it appeared on Slate here: Mother of Invention.
Mother of Invention
These illustrations are for an Afrofuturist short story by Nnedi Okorafor about a woman who gives birth during a deadly pollen storm in a declining anthropocene Nigeria assisted only by her smart home. Her doctor appears as a hologram early in the story and later on her baby is delivered by a drone. It seems fitting that the story is boldly futuristic and happens to be illustrated entirely on the iPad.