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 risk a critical misunderstanding.
Inspired by Nigerian history and tragedies all but forgotten by recent generations of westerners, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novels and stories are jewels in the crown of diasporan literature.
This is an eye opening lecture for me, filled with honesty and truth. I understand that I have to be very careful and highly critical in believing what I read.
Chimamanda Adichie is so powerful and honest and made me to refer back on the single stories that I have been telling and listening. Stories we heard from our friends and family members about others, about the world and about everything. It also made me realize that’s it is very difficult to express my opinions without any bias.
Most stories have many sides, and usually none of them is 100% accurate.
Watch The Ultrage, or Rashomon.
A friend of mine sent me the link to this on Facebook…it was a powerful and heat-warming presentation. It made me think of the time I have been blessed to spend in Dominica and praying that Dominica doesn’t lose it’s voice and stories amidst the cacophony of an omnipresent global media culture.