Her books have evoked a lot of debate about the African story across the globe, you probably have heard about Americanah, Half of a Yellow Sun or Purple Hibiscus. Maybe, you heard the expression “as sweet as the African sun” that is, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Well, the literary genius is set to be feted with an honorary degree by one of the top universities in the world, the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, United States. According to venteuresafrica.com, the Nigerian author was recently named as one of the distinguished achievers to be awarded honorary degrees by the university. The degrees will be conferred on May 18, 2016.
Johns Hopkins is synonymous with the famous among them Ben Carson, an alumni of the university also a top neurosurgeon and the author of; Think Big and Gifted Hands. Kenyan author Margaret Ogola’s Magnus Opus, The River and The Source, a feminist novel, features a character Wandia Mugo who wins a scholarship to study in the said university.
Besides her thought provoking books, Chimamanda is also known for her empowering speech “The Danger of a Single Story” she gave on the Ted show and other venues.
Adichie graduated summa Cum laude (With highest honours) in 2001 at Eastern Connecticut State University with a degree Communication and Political science. Thereafter she did her masters at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore.
As an academic, the Nigerian born writer has received several fellowships; among them; Hodder Fellowship at the Princeton University in 2005-2006 academic year. In 2011-2012, she got another fellowship by the Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Studies, Harvard university. This fellowship was a shot in the arm since it allowed her to complete the latest book Americanah.
Chimamanda currently divides her time between Nigeria and USA where she lives. Her stint in Nigeria is purposely to teach creative writing classes.
Apart from Adichie, ventures.com reports that, the university will also honor other visionaries who have made a mark in their fields. They include: groundbreaking filmmaker Spike Lee, the founding director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health, Laurie Zabin and Nobel Prize winner, Richard Axel, among others.