I personally found this talk very interesting, which is about the danger of a single story.
In this talk, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about how we are having our own single story. And this single story is framed within us by reading, knowing a single side of something, watching and by other things. Here what she wants to convey is that we all are conditioned to look at particular things. She began to write at a very early age. But what she writes in her early age is what she reads in books. So as she mentions that in her early writings, she wrote about white people and their etiquette, which as a Nigerian she haven't experienced. So what she writes is what she read not what she experiences. As she states,
"What this demonstrates, I think, is how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the face of a story, particularly as children".
The reason is that she has read books where characters were foreign. After her own discovery of African books, she realised that this is not so.
Writers like Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye, led a mental shift in her perception of literature. Which gave her the realisation that people like her, girls with skin the colour of chocolate, whose kinky hair could not form ponytails, could also exist in literature. And she started writing about that thing.
She goes on to share personal anecdotes, including her preconditioned notions about her houseboy, Fide, and his family's poverty. She initially only knew them through her mother's stories of their destitution. As her mother states, “Finish your food! Don't you know? People like Fide's family have nothing."
However, when she visited Fide's village, she was surprised to discover a beautifully crafted basket made by his brother, challenging her narrow perception of their poverty. Their poverty was a single story about them. So if we only know one side it doesn't mean the other side is not existing.
Adichie also discusses her American roommate's surprise upon hearing her speak English and the stereotype that African people are deprived. She underscores that African people are diverse and capable, citing an example of a woman who read her novel and offered constructive feedback. Adichie traces the origins of these single stories back to Western literature, which often perpetuates narrow narratives.
Even she herself acknowledges falling into the trap of a single story. During a visit to Mexico from the U.S. She realised how the media had shaped her perception of Mexicans, reducing them to a single identity as immigrants. Her moment of realisation was accompanied by deep shame, as she recognized the dangers of clinging to a single narrative.
The concept of "nkali" from Igbo, signifying the power to shape narratives. This power goes beyond storytelling; it involves making one narrative the definitive version. As the Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti emphasizes, controlling and manipulating a people's narrative is a potent method of dispossessing them.
Crafting a single narrative about people or cultures reduces them to oversimplified, one-dimensional caricatures. As she aptly states,
“The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”
In sharing her personal journey, Adichie underscores the nuanced nature of life, where both positive and negative aspects coexist. What truly matters is how we choose to frame these stories.
The talk concludes with a profound and essential insight:
"When we reject the notion of a single story and realize that there is never a solitary narrative about any place, we regain a kind of paradise."
This talk has enlightened me to the notion that a single narrative doesn't encompass the entire truth; there are always other facets and perspectives to consider. Here I would like to recall a line that was included in the thinking skills workshop by Milan pandya sir,
"If something is true, what else has to be true in that"
Well, this talk took me back to how I grew up unknowingly as a Feminist. But I think there is no need to tell my side. Let's jump to what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about.
So the talk is as its title suggests about feminism. Throughout the talk, she deals with the multiple dimensions of feminism, which we are quite aware of. But the way she puts the arguments are of importance. It is not only about just talking but rather the solutions that can be brought in our lives. The points that she mentions in the talk are very important including Different biological abilities, how we raise our boys and girls, Marriage, language, compromise, gender attitude and system oppression.
The beginning of this talk is quite interesting. In her essay, "We all Should be Feminist", she refers to her childhood friend Okoloma. In this talk she also refers to him. In the argument between her and Okoloma, Okoloma tells her , ‘You know, you’re a feminist.’ Now Feminist is not the term that was used for a compliment given by him. As she states, the tone was the same with which a person would say, ‘You’re a supporter of terrorism.’ The best thing about this conversation was that she wasn't acquainted with what the word 'Feminist' meant. Many times we don't know the actual term or meaning, but we do believe in a certain thought process.
One reporter gives her advice about her work Purple Hibiscus, about a man who beats his wife, and whose story doesn’t end too well. This novel is a feminist work. He says that "since feminists are women who are unhappy because they cannot find husbands."
So she decided to call herself a "Happy Feminist".
Many people think feminism is a western thought, even in India as well we many a times heard people saying the same. But I think that is not the case. She used to call herself "Happy African Feminist Who Does Not Hate Men. At some point I was a Happy African Feminist Who Does Not Hate Men And Who Likes To Wear Lip Gloss And High Heels For Herself And Not For Men."
I think the core of feminism is the same. feminist is so heavy with baggage, negative baggage: you hate men, you hate bras, you hate African culture, you think women should always be in charge, you don’t wear make-up, you don’t shave, you’re always angry, you don’t have a sense of humor, you don’t use deodorant.
She shares her childhood story about gender based discrimination. As per the rules the one who gets the highest marks will get the position of Monitor of the class. She got the highest but it was told by teachers that as being a girl she can not be monitored and the position was given to the boy.(Thank god! Because in our department the one who got the highest marks in the university exams possess the position of GS. So if the same situation still would have existed now, as being a girl I would lose the position, frankly! But this could be the possible outcome)
If we keep seeing only men as heads of corporations, it starts to seem ‘natural’ that only men should be heads of corporations. It is the universal belief that man hold a the power. As being a woman you can't go to the hotel alone(without man). The actual problem is not what we are, as we are just products of a kind of process that has taught us behave in a certain way or think in a certain way. Even in the time like today, where women are getting into the economy, there is also gender based discrimination. Women are paid less.
She quotes Wangari Maathai to illustrate the scarcity of women in high-ranking positions, emphasizing the persistent gender pay gap. She asserts that physical strength is no longer the most crucial attribute for leadership in our evolved world, where intelligence, knowledge, creativity, and innovation should be valued equally in both genders.
Language can reinforce gender stereotypes, with phrases like "doing it for peace in my marriage" having different meanings when spoken by men and women. Why cooking and household chores are predominantly assigned to women and suggests focusing on abilities and interests instead of gender when raising children.
The talk also addresses the scrutiny of women's appearances, contrasting it with the lack of judgment faced by men in similar situations.
She defends the term "feminist," stating that it acknowledges the specific problem of gender inequality within the broader context of human rights. She rejects the idea of women bowing to men by pointing out that humans are not apes, emphasizing that women should not rely solely on their sexuality for power.
In closing, Adichie encourages everyone to acknowledge the gender problem and strive for improvement, As she says,
‘Yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better.’ All of us, women and men, must do better.'
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