Renowned Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has voiced her profound worry about the country’s deteriorating economic situation, stating that what most concerns her is the suffering of common people. Adichie said that many Nigerians who were formerly middle class have been forced to beg in an interview on Channels TV’s Amazing Africans.
The author said, “Life has become so hard in Nigeria, and me I can see it. For example, people who were formerly kind of securely middle class, not that life was rosy for them, but they got by; are now people who beg and are in need. That worries me greatly,” she said.
She emphasized that the stability of society is seriously threatened by growing food costs and pervasive poverty.
“The level of suffering, how expensive food has become, I think the biggest political judgment one can make is about the lives of ordinary people.
“People talk about the stock market. Personally, I don’t really care about those sorts of things. What I care about is that person earning minimum wage, how is that person getting on in this economy? It’s the suffering that worries me the most. And it’s terrible.”
“It’s not to excuse crime, but I think when life gets very hard, even people who before would not have considered certain things suddenly are willing to, and that’s dangerous to society,” she continued.
On her writing journey, Adichie revealed she faced up to 25 rejections for her debut novel Purple Hibiscus, but never considered quitting. “The thought of quitting writing is never an option for me because writing is my vocation. Writing is really what I believe I am here to do; it’s a bit spiritual. she said
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie disclosed that she faced up to 25 rejections for her first book, Purple Hibiscus, but she never thought about giving up.
“Since writing is my profession, I never consider giving up on it. I genuinely think that writing; which is somewhat spiritual, is what I am here to do.
“I feel that is a gift that I am given, and so even if I hadn’t been published, I would still be writing today. So, the idea of giving up writing was never an option. But it (the rejection) was demoralising,” she concluded.
