If you are not an avid reader or if your familiarity with African literature is fairly limited, it would be understandable for you not to have heard of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. However, if you’re a Beyoncé fan (honestly, who isn’t), you’d likely recognize her for the excerpt of her speech that is featured in “Flawless” (hyperlink). But if you have not yet had the opportunity to learn about her or to read one of her works, now is the time to broaden your horizons. Adichie is on the rise in the literary world and is disrupting antiquated social tradition through her work as a writer. Without a doubt, Adichie is a name to know.
Recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time Magazine in 2012, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a widely acclaimed writer and scholar from Nigeria as well as a notable advocate of feminism. Though I had read some of her work in past English classes, this summer I had the opportunity to read her most recent novel, Americanah. Recognized by The New York Times as one of the 10 Best Books of 2013, this thought-provoking work tells the story of a young Nigerian woman named Ifemelu who travels to the United States in pursuit of a better education and the resources she needs to achieve her personal and academic goals.
Leaving behind her family and her devoted love, Obinze, Ifemelu dives into a culture that is completely foreign to her in a country that redefines and restricts her identity. Upon her arrival in the United States, she finds that she is immediately categorized by her race, her country of origin, and especially her accent. She is faced with an abundance of obstacles to overcome, some as a result of her role as a financially independent college student but many others stemming from the way that society perceives her. Moved and compelled by her experience as a foreigner, she begins writing a blog to document and analyze her many observations of and encounters with racial stereotyping and gender discrimination. After her blog gains rapid popularity and she has learned lessons from a few meaningful but impermanent relationships, she eventually returns to her home nation and she finds that her time away has changed her forever.
Within the pages of this novel, Adichie grapples with the struggle of being a career-driven and self-sufficient woman in a society that does not accept this standard. Ifemelu explores the intersectionality of her own identity and examines the differences between Nigerian and American society. But most importantly, she struggles with society’s attempts to define and categorize her in every aspect of her life.
In this novel as well is in the TED Talk that she gave in 2012, Adichie discusses the stigmas associated with identifying oneself as a feminist and argues, as the title implies, that “We Should All Be Feminists.” In her TED Talk, Adichie analyzes the role of gender in Nigerian society, stressing that, “Girls grow up to be women who silence themselves…The problem with gender is that it prescribes how we should be, rather than recognizing how we are.”
I highly recommend checking out her full TED talk – Adichie makes a lot of very important points about gender and femininity that resonate in American society as well. Overall, Adichie is an incredible writer and an advocate for the power and independence of women, and is definitely someone you should learn more about.
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