Coming back from work one evening, I gazed at the sky and something caught my attention. It was half of a yellow sun. I stared at it for a while and looked away only to find a purple hibiscus growing in the garden. Such synchronization. “What does this whole thing mean?”, you wonder. Well, it means that Chimamanda Adichie is on today’s edition of Chronicles of Greatness.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born 15 September 1977 in the city of Enugu in Nigeria to Mr James Nwoye Adichie and Mrs Grace Ifeoma as the fifth of six children. She completed her secondary education at the University of Nigeria Secondary School, Nsukka where she received several academic prizes. She studied Medicine and surgery at the University of Nigeria for a year and a half. At 19, Chimamanda left Nigeria for the United States to study Communications and Political science at Drexel University in Philadelphia. She also received degrees at some universities like Eastern Connecticut State University, John Hopkins University and Princeton University, among others. Chimamanda has been a voracious reader from a young age. Her initial inspiration came from Late Prof. Chinua Achebe after reading his book “Things Fall Apart” at the age of 10. Adichie has written many books and won various awards. Her first novel “Purple Hibiscus” was awarded Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Book in 2005. Her second and third books also received awards while she also continued her writing career. During her early days in the United States, Chimamanda faced gender and racial abuse of various kinds but she was able to scale through. She now advocates against gender and racial abuse.

Taking hold of opportunities, they say, is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Chimamanda actually grabbed the opportunity she had with open hands. She was born into a family of academics and she utilized the opportunity really well. Proper utilization of the exposure and other experiences she had as a member of the Adichie family also contributed to her immense success today.

Chimamanda is an African queen. Despite the fact that she is a citizen of the United States (she is a Nigerian-American), she still reps her African roots in style. From her afro hairstyles to her attractive native attires, she is just a good representative of Nigeria and Africa at the global table. She is also a record breaker: Because of the person she has built herself to be, Chimamanda Adichie has been able to break records of various forms. Even traditional records which had gender-based limitations have been broken by this determined woman.

Two things worth noting in Chimamanda Adichie’s life are as follows:
First, she is hardworking: Chimamanda’s second novel, “Half of a Yellow sun”, was the result of four years of research and writing😳😳😳. It was built primarily on the experience of her parents during the Nigeria-Biafra war. The novel became an international best seller and was awarded the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction in 2006.

Secondly, taking hold of opportunities, they say, is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Chimamanda actually grabbed the opportunity she had with open hands. She was born into a family of academics and she utilized the opportunity really well. Proper utilization of the exposure and other experiences she had as a member of the Adichie family also contribute to her immense success today.

Today, she is married to Ivara Esege and the union is blessed with 1 daughter but she has decided to keep the “Adichie” surname. She has an estimated net worth of $5 million and splits her stay between Nigeria and her second home, the United States. She has featured in many award shows and innovative programmes all around the world and is a source of inspiration to many people, especially females. She preaches humanism in form of feminism and is seen by many as a feminist but does not officially address herself as one. Some of her notable books include: Half of a Yellow sun, Purple Hibiscus, Americanah, The thing around your neck and Dear Ijeawele.

Author: Joshua Fabiyi