"The problem with gender is that it shapes who we are, and I am angry. Gender, as it functions today, is a grave injustice. We should all be angry. Anger has a long history of bringing about positive change, but in addition to being angry, I’m also hopeful because I believe deeply in the ability of human beings to make and remake themselves for the better.”
Chimamanda Adichie said that during her 2012 TEDx talk - her second foray onto the TED stage. Three years before in 2009, she expressed her concern for the underrepresentation of various cultures in a thoughtful and highly-personal talk called "The Danger of a Single Story.”
At 19 she left Nigeria to study Communications & Political Science in the US. A decade later in 2008, she received her Master’s degree in African studies from Yale University, and in 2016 was conferred an honorary degree - Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, by Johns Hopkins University.
With two TED Talks, four novels, more than 30 award nominations and 15 wins - not to mention a shout out in a Beyonce’ video - it’s safe to say that Chimamanda Adichie is one of the most pivotal voices in contemporary feminism and African literature.
Photo cred: via Wall Street Journal (wsj.com)
