– Talks about her new book
Award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie hosted 11-year-old Purple Hibiscus Literary Week in Anambra State last week.
The annual event which is held in Lagos, Nigeria was brought to Anambra this year bringing the successful Twenty Two (22) of this year’s competition to Awka the capital of Anambra State.
Purple Hibiscus Writing workshop organized by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie annually for 10 years now is a literary workshop for young African writers from Nigeria. It starts with an open writing competition where successful applicants are selected to attend the workshop.
The 5 days workshop features writing competitions among the selected few, interactive sessions with Chimamanda Adichie and intensive creativity drill bothering on writing the African story by Africans. She uses this workshop to groom young writers to tell the unique African story; the workshop is concluded with a literary evening with her.
This year’s literary evening with Chimamanda Adichie had fresh minds and young-spirited writers from all over the country that came to rub minds and discuss topical issues with the echelon writer. She congratulated all 22 participants of this year’s workshop, announcing that each of them is brilliant, intellectually curious, inspiring, herald amazing talents and untapped volumes of creativity.
She further encouraged the general public and well-meaning Nigerians to quit brooding on the lack of a sustainable reading culture in Nigeria and focus on investing in young writers.
When asked why she hosts the annual literary festival, she reveals that writing can be lonely when you don’t have companions and people to inspire you, a challenge she faced as a young writer writing about Africa, the workshop she says gives the writers a feeling that they are not alone on this. She says the workshop inspires her, she told a participant at this year’s workshop to hurry up and write a story they talked about otherwise she will write it because of the immense inspiration the piece brought.
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Speaking to anaedoonline.ng she revealed that hosting this year’s event at Anambra has been a little underwhelming because the society isn’t willing to invest in the people who are willing to tell our story. She calls for a re-think of what should matter to us as Africans because if we do not tell our stories someone else will tell it for us, she further enjoined parents to buy books for their children because that is where it starts.
She hinted that she is working on a couple of new books but can’t say when the release date would be as well as a movie on her award-winning novel Americanah featuring multiple award-winning actor- Brad actor
Speaking on feminism, she reiterates that the society blames women for nearly everything, women she says should be seen as imperfect humans who are just as equal to men. “Feminism is a fight against injustice and when people say they do not support feminism they are saying they are standing for injustice. Anyone who is talented and qualified should do the job”
She advised against calling feminism, human rights activism in a bid to eliminate the word, according to her, it takes attention away from the real problem.
Speaking at the event also was, Engr. Johnbusco Onunkwo, who urged her to collaborate with his foundation to change the narrative for youths and bad governance in Nigeria.
She says she wants to facilitate the telling of African stories that’s why she would not stop encouraging young writers.
She thanked everyone who attended and encouraged writers further by saying “To be a good writer, you must read broadly and extensively”.
She thanked everyone, especially her 22 participants for this year’s workshop referring to them as her newly adopted siblings while encouraging them to keep shining the light on literature, telling the African story the African way.
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