26.3.10

the danger of a single story.

my friends and i started our own book club some time ago, and one of our selections, "half of a yellow sun" by a nigerian author called chimamanda ngozi adichie, resonated with all of us. it was such a poignant piece of literature. at any rate, a friend of mine recently brought to my attention this lecture where adichie speaks on the dangers of a single story, or rather, how dangerous it is for a person to have a biased view of the world-- if one takes at face value what one sees in the media, without having been to a place or known its people, instead of being their own judge. this speech had a profound effect on me, as the message is something i try and spread wherever i go. suffice it to say, watch the video below. and pick up any of her books if you're in need of a good story.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

i am sold.
truth!

vstar* said...

wasn't she amazing!?