Ideas worth spreading

The danger of a single story

34,904,260 views |

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie |

TEDGlobal 2009

• July 2009

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

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Inspired by Nigerian history and tragedies all but forgotten by recent generations of westerners, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novels and stories are jewels in the crown of diasporan literature.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.