Chimamanda Adichie Lights Up Internet with Essay against Hypocritical Friends: "It's Obscene"
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian novelist and feminist, has written a long piece detailing her side of the tale in her four-year fight with Akwaeke Emezi
- The pair's relationship deteriorated after Emezi publicly chastised Chimamanda on social media for her unconventional views on trans women
- Chimamanda released a three-part publication following Emezi's critique, in which she refuted the claims
- The multi-award-winning novelist also said that her critics were aware of her thoughts on the subject
- She expressed her dissatisfaction with Emezi by revealing emails she received from a critic who was trying to heal the cracks
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Writer Chimamanda Adiche who has a wealth of work under her belt – including novels, short stories, and non-fiction has written a three-part reflective essay that has gone viral on Twitter.
Source: Facebook
The 43-year-old's piece - It is obscure: A True Reflection in Three Parts- went viral on Twitter, attracting internet users with its honesty and clarity.
As reported by The Cable, Adichie and fellow author Akwaeke Emezi were involved in a lengthy feud. Thus, Adichie penned her three-part essay to protect her own reputation.
Notably, the Nigerian writer focuses much of her work around feminism. Titles of her better-known work include Purple Hibiscus, Americanah, and We Should All Be Feminists.
Back in 2017, Adichie spoke about her thoughts surrounding gender:
"My feeling is trans women are trans women. I think the whole problem of gender is about our experiences and how the world treats us. It’s not about how we wear our hair, whether we have a vagina or penis."
"If you lived in the world as a man with the privileges the world accords to men. Then you switched gender. It’s difficult for me to accept that we can then equate your experience with that of a woman who has lived from the beginning in the world as a woman; who has not been accorded those privileges that men are."
Chimamanda was, however, keen to note that she was "saying this also with sort of the certainty that transgender people should be allowed to be. Right?"
Emezi, who identifies with they/them pronouns, took to Twitter in 2020 to express her opinion, contradictory to that of Adichie.
Following this, Adichie published the personal essay on her website describing the attitudes, behaviours, and expectations of young people nowadays, focusing on social media.
“We have a generation of young people on social media so terrified of having the wrong opinions that they have robbed themselves of the opportunity to think and to learn and to grow," she wrote.
Twitter users react to Chimamanda's essay
Twitter users circulated the open essay on the social media platform while sharing their thoughts on the situation.
@ClaireShrugged, who identifies herself as a black radical feminist, wrote:
An utterly glorious essay from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Her words break the silence that allows shame and smears to spread, unchallenged, like mould across our public discourse.
@suzanne_moore wrote:
She takes no prisoners. She doesn't even need to. She is just asking YOU to think. Yes, think.
@ColetteColfer wrote:
“Woah, Chimamanda is on fire. What greatness is this? People for whom friendship no longer matters… who are obsessed with the prevailing ideological orthodoxy, who speak about kindness whilst unable to be kind, who demand you denounce people. I know these.”
Equally, @MajorVinyl tweeted:
“Reading Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s essay makes me realise how people only want to be around you just because of the benefits they have access to as a result of your presence. It’s all about exploitation these days. Very sad!”
@KazuriJo wrote:
“These days, people build a profile either in social media, politics, religion, or even business then wield it like a club. Successful people like Chimamanda are prey. They will be entrapped and then milked. Because lies are now a currency.”
Chimamanda's novel wins Women's Prize for Fiction
The celebrated writer made Nigeria proud once again after her novel, Half of a Yellow Sun was voted as the best book to have won the Women's Prize for Fiction in its 25-year history.
The book was chosen in a public vote of more than 8,500 people.
Out of the 25 books that have won the prize, Adiche's novel was voted as the best. YEN.com.gh notes that Half of a Yellow Sun won the prize in 2007 after it was published in 2006.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
Ebenezer Agbey Quist (HOD Human-Interest) Ebenezer Agbey Quist is the Head of the Human Interest Desk at YEN.com.gh. He has a BSc in Chemical Engineering from KNUST (2017) with 8 years of experience as a writer and 3 years as an editor. He has certificates in AFP courses on digital investigation techniques. At YEN.com.gh, Ebenezer has won the Outstanding Achievement for Professional Conduct Award and the Best Human Interest Editor Award. He is also the author of 3 books. You can contact him via ebenezer.quist@yen.com.gh.
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