Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story
Chimamanda Adichie delivered this speech in 2009 to a crowd at the Ted Global 2009 Conference in Oxford.
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- I wrote exactly the kinds of stories I was reading: All my characters were white and blue-eyed, they played in the snow Now, this despite the fact that I lived in Nigeria.I had never been outside Nigeria. We didn't have snow, we ate mangoes.
- Ms.Adichie was trying to explain that the only reading material they was exposed to was American and English kids books. Kids should learn about their own countries Arthur's and poets. Ms. was reading stories about things she have never heard of or seen, because she never went outside Nigeria. This can be a positive to by motivating them to want to see more and explore the world.
- But because of writers like Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye I went through a mental shift in my perception of literature. I realized that people like me, girls with skin the color of chocolate, whose kinky hair could not form ponytails, could also exist in literature.
- Ms.Adichie has found the truth that there is Nigerian Arthur's and has encouraged her to reach out, and see that there is more than blonde hair blue eyes. When Ms.Adichie had a mental shift about literature she had a need for more knowledge on her countries Arthur's.