Monday 25 October 2010

Chimamanda Adicie: The danger of a single story

Chimamanda Adicie is the author of Purple Hibiscus (2003) which was shortlisted for the Orange Fiction Prize (2004) and was awarded the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book (2005). Her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) is set before and during the Biafran War. Her collection of short stories, The Thing around Your Neck, was published in 2009.

In the clip below she discusses the danger of viewing a culture through the lens of a single story.

2 comments:

Marise Fleurisca said...

Hi Chimamanda, I just stumbled on your video and I watched it for a while. I have to say, I was very impressed with the way you discribed your story and your American experience. I am sure that all of us, 'foreigners', have some experience we can relate to.

Charmaine said...

Hi Chimamanda,

I just listened to your video. I'm really impressed with your fearless presentation and the ever attentive, well engrossed crowd. Your poignant depiction of 'truth', facts really about us conveniently choosing sides or a side of a story to tell. I am African though I have not yet seen Africa but it's every inch like an Indian who only knows Kenya. My loyalty is to my country, Trinidad and Tobago, but certainly my race also identifies me.

Your point about the 'secondly' almost sent me to the roof. I find it so difficult to meet like-minded people, even Africans who are willing to face these facts, which may just be the beginning of a whole recovery.

I'm researching in the UK. Last semester I had a white British student tell me that he was glad that I taught them to question as he never knew that they could question theories they are taught.

Your speech was awe-inspiring. There is hope after all.