Because of writers like Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye … I realized that people like me, girls with skin the color of chocolate, whose kinky hair could not form ponytails, could also exist in literature.
Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieRead
In primary school in south-eastern Nigeria, I was taught that Hosni Mubarak was the president of Egypt. I learned the same thing in secondary school. In university, Mubarak was still president of Egypt. I came to assume, subconsciously, that he - and others like Paul Biya in Cameroon and Muammar Gaddafi in Libya - would never leave.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the assumption of enduring leadership in certain countries based on educational teachings.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reflects on her educational experience in Nigeria, where she was taught about prominent leaders like Hosni Mubarak, Paul Biya, and Muammar Gaddafi throughout her schooling. Her continued exposure to the same information led her to develop a subconscious belief that these leaders would remain in power indefinitely, illustrating how education can shape perceptions of political stability and the permanence of leadership.
Themes
LeadershipEducationPoliticsAssumptionPower
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about political longevity, this quote can highlight how education shapes perceptions of leadership.
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If I had not grown up in Nigeria- and if all I knew of Africa were of popular images- I too would think that africa was a place of beautiful landscapes, beautiful animals and incomprehensible people fighting sensless wars, dying of poverty and aids- unable to speak for themselves and waiting to be saved by a kind white foreigner.
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You can't write a script in your mind and then force yourself to follow it. You have to let yourself be.
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Non-fiction, and in particular the literary memoir, the stylised recollection of personal experience, is often as much about character and story and emotion as fiction is.
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