Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping
stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her
authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about
another person or country, we stand the risk of critically misunderstanding who or what they really are and stand for.
I was really moved by this thought provoking speech from a lady born and raised in a country where "no good" is supposed to come out from. I implore every loyal RVB reader to take time out to watch this video and lets discuss your thoughts afterwards via the comment box. Every comment passed will have a response,so check back on this page in 5 minutes after placing your thoughts to receive your response(s)Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie a renowned Nigerian novelist was born in Nigeria in 1977. She grew up in the university town of Nsukka, Enugu State where she attended primary and secondary schools, and briefly studied Medicine and Pharmacy. She then moved to the United States to attend college, graduating summa cum laude from Eastern Connecticut State University with a major in Communication and a minor in Political Science. She holds a Masters degree in Creative Writing from Johns Hopkins and a Masters degree in African Studies from Yale University. She was a 2005-2006 Hodder Fellow at Princeton, where she taught introductory fiction. Chimamanda is the author of Half of a Yellow Sun, which won the 2007 Orange Prize For Fiction; and Purple Hibiscus, which won the 2005 Best First Book Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the 2004 Debut Fiction Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. In 2009, her collection of short stories, The Thing around Your Neck was published. She was named one of the twenty most important fiction writers today under 40 years old by The New Yorker and was recently the guest speaker at the 2012 annual commonwealth lecture. She featured in the April 2012 edition of Time Magazine, celebrated as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. She currently divides her time between the United States and Nigeria.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts.
I think she's done goood for herself.i may be wrong but her success may have been as a result of her level of exposure especially coming from the kind of schools you listed here Rivera.
ReplyDeleteHi Amanda,
DeleteI may agree with you giving the fact that foreign schools give one the level of exposure needed to achieve this kind of feat.But then again, dont you think Ms Adichie's talent is or may be inborn? The world today has seen lots of successful people who hardly went to school.
Chimamanda's disposition to life has explained the importance of viewing stories from more than one perspective. Most people are stereotyped because of the dangerous understanding of a people,concept or phenomenon. She inspires me not to be narrow minded but to explore unbiased views of cultures. She is exposed but also ready to explore with her gifts. I am glad she is African.
ReplyDeleteHi Mayokun,
DeleteBrilliantly you have analysed the whole essence of this post.Chimamanda had the choice of viewing things the way lots of people view them today but she thought otherwise. I think her speech about the dangers of a single story should be the bedrock upon which the whole world should thrive if we must truely appreciate and value ourselves and moreso totally bring to extinct the issue of RACISM in our midst.