Kenechukwu Ofomah
Awka
Anambra-born award-winning novelist, Mrs Chimamanda Adichie, was on Friday honoured by her hometown, Abba in Njikoka local government area of Anambra State.
Mrs Adichie bagged the chieftaincy title of “Odeluwa,” meaning “she who writes for the world,” by the traditional ruler of Abba, His Royal Highness, Igwe Leonard Nwankwo Ezeh.
The ceremony attracted people from all walks of life, including Governor Charles Soludo, traditional rulers from different communities, politicians, and people from academia.
Igwe Ezeh, while conferring her with the title, said it was in recognition and appreciation of the honour she has brought upon the community, Anambra State and Nigeria through her works of art.
While praising Mrs Adichie for her feats in the world of literature, Igwe Ezeh also encouraged other citizens to emulate her by striving for excellence.
On his part, Governor Chukwuma Soludo congratulated Mrs Adichie, and said the chieftaincy title was an honour well deserved.
Adichie, 45, was honoured just weeks after urging youths around the world to devote more time to reading during her speech at The Harvard Centre Honors in Massachusetts, US.
At the event, she said; “The most meaningful thing for me as a writer is to know that I can create something that means something to other people. And so, what moves me the most is to hear from people who have read me and who say, your work made me feel seen, your work made me think differently, your work made me feel that I was not alone.
“And I’m so grateful for this award because again it just makes me feel that what I’m doing matters and it’s a gift to feel what you’re doing matters.
“For the young people who are here, if you care about anything, please care about reading, reading is so important, reading is magical, books are magical.
“And I really think that one of the best ways to counter what seems to me to be a really ugly tsunami of book bannings going around in this country is to read. The only way that we can answer to censorship of books is to read books.
“For the young people who are here, if you care about anything, please care about reading, reading is so important, reading is magical, books are magical.
“And I really think that one of the best ways to counter what seems to me to be a really ugly tsunami of book bannings going around in this country is to read. The only way that we can answer to censorship of books is to read books.”
