The author who influenced the VMAs
Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been hailed by The Times Literary Supplement as “the most significant writer among a generation of young African authors writing in English, drawing new readers to African literature.”
Adichie, whose name is most probably pronounced “Adichie-e”, has authored four books. Two of these, “The Medieval Sun” and “The Tearful Sun”, have been translated into Greek. Her breakthrough work, however, is “Americanah”, which was included in the New York Times’ “10 Best Books of 2013” list.
“Americanah” became a major hit due to its fresh perspective on the contentious issue of racism against black people in America. This is a topic that many, especially white people, tend to overlook, often justifying it with statements like “but we have a black president.” However, as the events in Ferguson illustrated, the roots of the problem run deep and cannot be rectified by mere wishful thinking. Though black people bear the brunt of this issue, their viewpoint is seldom communicated to white audiences. Adichie has managed to penetrate the white world with her books, perhaps due to her fluency in the ‘white language’, having lived in America for many years, or simply because of her exceptional writing talent.
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“Americanah” provides stark, vivid examples to all readers. We all harbor prejudices against various minorities within us, and the mechanism is not much different, whether it’s directed towards blacks, Asians, Pakistanis, or homosexuals. These prejudices often originate from the dangerous concept of a “single story,” a topic Adichie elaborated on during a TEDx talk that has since garnered over seven million views.
Adichie is not only black, but also a woman. Her color, background, and gender create a combination that makes achieving success within a white, centrist, male-dominated environment even more challenging. The difficulties she has faced due to her unique combination are candidly and disarmingly depicted in her books.
Many women, including public figures, are quick to assert that they are “not feminists” because they “love men,” or because they find “humanism” a more suitable term, or because “there is nothing wrong with being a housewife and taking care of your husband.” They often make these declarations without fully understanding the meaning of feminism, and more importantly, how the term has been negatively skewed. “Feminist: a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes,” is a quote from one of Adichie’s speeches. One might think this is an obvious definition, except it’s not.
‘We Should All Be Feminists’ is a speech by Adichie, which caught the attention of Beyonce and evidently resonated with her.
Adichie’s words now feature prominently in Beyonce’s song ‘Flawless’, catapulting her into mainstream pop culture. “We teach girls to shrink, to make themselves smaller. We tell girls ‘you can have ambition, but not too much ambition. From TedX to the VMAs, Adichie’s voice can be heard at 1:26”
