Chimamanda Adichie has reacted to the backlash that hit her
prolonged feud with Akwaeke Emezi.
Both authors had made headlines over the latter’s protracted
criticism of the former’s opinion on trans women.
Chimamanda had stated that “trans women are trans women” but
Emezi had accused her of being transphobic.
In a chat with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Chimamanda reacted again to the heated backlash that trailed the development by maintaining her stance. She said she refuses to subscribe to an orthodoxy that “makes no sense”.
“I don’t believe there’s such a thing as absolute free
speech but I do think it’s possible to go too far in thinking about issues of
social justice. I think it’s easy to patronise an oppressed group in the name
of protecting them,” she said.
“Legitimate criticism is a thing. Hounding people for having
an opinion that comes from an emotionally intelligent place is another. I think
that, as human beings, we should have a kind of nuanced thinking to distinguish
them.
“It’s very easy to say you can’t criticise cancel culture
because it means you want to get away with violence. It’s entirely possible to
have real conversations that are uncomfortable. We do not all have to agree and
disagree.
“I’m a person who
believes strongly in the rights of minority and oppressed groups. But, again,
it’s really a question of, ‘I think for myself ‘. I’ve read books and I just
refuse to participate in an orthodoxy that makes no sense to me.”
“I didn’t understand
the backlash after my trans talk”
On cancel culture, Chimamanda said she didn’t understand the
backlash that met her comment on trans women.
“I didn’t see why there was such backlash over something I
thought was fairly innocuous and self-evident,” she said.
“I think it’s a
larger problem of people feeling compelled to conform. Social media is not
about exchanging ideas in good faith. It’s about a kind of shallow performance
and you have people repeating mantras they can’t even explain.
“They don’t really understand and they’re terrified of asking
questions because of the possibility of backlash. I just refuse to participate
in a kind of orthodoxy that to me, doesn’t make sense.
“There’s so much talk about free speech in the US and
Western Europe. But it is the part of the world where one is compelled to say
things in a particular way, otherwise, the censure that you get is terrible. I
find that troubling.”
Chimamanda had earlier narrated her “alienation”
from Catholicism, alleging that females were often harassed.
Amid the interview, the author further touched on why she
returned to church despite her opinion on Catholicism.
I returned to church
amid hunger for comfort after my parents died, says author
According to her, she had found comfort in catholic
“rituals” in an attempt to cope with the death of her parents.
“My parents were catholic and Igbo. We had the catholic mass
which I found surprisingly comforting. I did the readings at the masses in both
languages. Mass was a central part of my parents’ lives,” the 43-year-old
stated.
“There’s the Igbo
part, which is like a celebration. I felt upset at the thought of celebrating.
I didn’t want to bloody dance. But I found it comforting to be surrounded by
people and hold up my parents’ photographs in mourning.
“One of the things that grief has taught me is how it brings
a kind of hunger for comfort and answers. And one often turns to religion. And
so what’s happened to me is that I started going to mass, which I hadn’t done
in years.
“I wanted to start to perform the rituals that brought so
much comfort to my parents. So, I’m going to a church my parents went to.
There’s something about just sitting and imagining them there. Death is so
final and unknowable.
“I think it only makes sense to try and find answers in
incomplete things. I find myself looking for answers and a certain kind of
religious ritual is not so much giving me the final answer but a kind of
peace.”
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