Congratulations to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on winning the Orange Prize for Literature for a second time (should be second nomination) with her novel Half of a Yellow Sun set during the Biafra war and already the winner of the Commonwealth Writers Award. I’ve had the book on my bookshelf for over 6 months and still haven’t got round to reading it. Here is the “short story” “taster” version – I like the Igbo proverbs she uses between the sections – which is as far as I have got.
Judging from the reviews it is a worthy winner as the Euro literary press are falling over themselves with praise for the book. Although Adichie states that she did not set out to write a “political” novel –
For me, I’m writing a story about human beings, love, and family,” she says. But, she adds, “Somehow, politics comes in.”
writing about Biafra IS political and for Nigeria, I think it is important that we take the time to revisit Biafra not least of all because secession is still on the agenda of sections, albeit small groups, of the Igbo and Niger Delta people. Only by discussing Biafra, listening to the voices of those who experienced the conflict and the many who became refugees, will we be able to understand the factors that led to the conflict and try to avoid feeding secessionist ideas whether in the ND or elsewhere in the country. I need to move with reading this one.
Links: Wordsbody
