Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 40, caught the world’s attention with her novels, Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun, which were released to great critical acclaim in 2003 and 2006.
Purple Hibiscus was long-listed for the Man Booker, which is one of the most prominent global literary awards.
Meanwhile, Half of a Yellow Sun was in 2013 adapted into a film starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, Anika Noni Rose, and John Boyega.
However, it was her 2014 essay, We Should All Be Feminists, that truly cemented her place as a prominent thinker and voice of change.
We Should All Be Feminists questioned why girls are taught to aspire to marriage and traditional gender roles, and why girls are taught that marriage matters more than ambition, leadership, and success, while boys are given the opportunity to define their identity and encouraged to lead.
As well as featuring in Beyoncé’s song, “Flawless”, a copy of We Should All Be Feminists is currently also distributed to every 16-year-old student in Sweden. The essay was also referenced by Christian Dior’s line of slogan t-shirts.
About Adichie’s life and legacy, Forbes wrote in its latest issue: “In modern times, there isn’t a celebrated black female intellectual of international stature whose influence transcends written words as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.”
“Adichie is a woman who has been able to dissect, shape, and create social dialogues across the globe,” Forbes added.
When it comes to taking feminism to mainstream platforms like pop culture and fashion, Adichie told the Guardian: “This idea of feminism as a party to which only a select few people get to come: this is why so many women, particularly women of colour, feel alienated from mainstream western academic feminism.”