Watch Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explain how discovering African literature helped her escape the limitations of a single narrative perspective:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story | TED
Growing up in Nigeria, Adichie initially read British and American children's books. This led her to believe that all literary characters had to be white, eat apples, and talk about the weather—experiences entirely foreign to her own life in Africa.
She defines a "single story" as a narrow viewpoint based on stereotypes. For example, she discusses how Western media often portrays Africa solely through lenses of poverty, war, and disease, ignoring the continent's diverse and complex realities.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story | TED YouTube• Oct 7, 2009