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The Power of Stereotypes…the Danger of a Single Story
Posted by: CareTaker on October 24, 2009 Under: Africa, Feature, Literature, Nigeria, People, Positive Africa
Muti ThisChimamanda Adichie, award-winning Nigerian novelist gives a brilliant talk about stories and stereotypes at TED, titled “The danger of a single story”. She says “if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding…”
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Dare | Oct 26, 2009 | Reply
This is awesome!
Omotaylor | Oct 27, 2009 | Reply
“show a people as one thing… and they become only one thing, over and over again”
Very true. I commend this lady. She spoke well and in truth and makes me proud.
Now I tell a story of my aunty Lape Oyewole who in the 50s while schooling in England loved to eat her chicken and crack the bones to suck out the tasty juices like we did in Nigeria. Her colleagues in the dining room (whites of course) were always dismayed and watch her with interest and wonder. Seeing this she made sure sure cracked the bones and chewed them well all the time. One day one of them who could not hold it anymore asked her nicely:
“Lape, when you chew up all the bones like this in Africa, what do you leave for your dogs to eat?”
I love her answer to counter the “single story”…
“The dogs in Nigeria drink tea she said” – lol!
Let us all from now on work harder to “reject the single story” and “regain some (level) of paradise” -thank you.
piper02 | Oct 31, 2009 | Reply
Yes, she really “brings home the bacon” (to all audiences), so that “the penny may drop”, and I thank her here, just as I have thanked her in my last blog post “Prayers for Bobbie Reverberate” at http://community.africanloft.com/_Prayers-for-Bobby-Reverberate/blog/1452147/4392.html , and send her greetings from the land of Aus, “down under”.
piper02 | Nov 1, 2009 | Reply
Yes, and she looks and speaks well too ! My bags are packed, and I’m just waiting for her invitation, since it would be my pleasure to be of service to her in any way she can think of. That is, if she doesn’t mind the wrinkles on this aged prune-like figure that still calls itself “me”.
Just joking, really ! I needed to correct my website info this time around…. But again, what a wonderfully mature thinker we have in Chimamanda. Long may she grace the world stage !
Misi Coker | Nov 5, 2009 | Reply
She is certainly very good speaker and raises a valid point.
Poor African | Nov 7, 2009 | Reply
“Stereotype”… it kills slowly and it leads to a painful death.. they don’t know you but they do know almost everything about you.. they prejudge and classify you based on what they think not who you are. It is just sad. Thanks very much for sharing.