Author says she became a feminist because she grew up in Nigeria

Celebrated Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was on CNN recently where she talked to veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour about the #MeToo movement, feminism and LGBTQ rights.

The celebrated author who is most known for her books, "Half of a Yellow Sun" and "Americanah" spoke with Amanpour about getting raped at the age of 17 and how it shaped her into becoming a feminist.

"I think I was a feminist before that, I've been a feminist for as long as I can remember, which is simply to say that as a child I was very much aware that the world did not treat men and women the same way", Adichie responded.

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Speaking about the origins of her feminist beliefs, the author said: "The kind of feminist discourse in the west, when people talk about first wave feminism, second-wave feminism, it doesn't really appeal to me".

"I don't feel a connection to me. It's not my story. I became a feminist because I grew up in Nigeria and I observed the world"

"Why were women judged more harshly? Why were the cultural practices that had prestige only for men? It didn't make any sense to me", she added.

Assault in her teens

You may recall that the author recently told the world that she was sexually assaulted at the age of 17.

Speaking at the just concluded Stockholm Forum for Gender Equality, the author said that a big man in a media house assaulted her when she visited him for help in publishing her collection of poems.

"I was so shocked that I did nothing for seconds but then, I pushed his hand away, gently, nicely, because I didn’t want to offend him.", the author is reported as saying.

In the spirit of the #MeToo movement, many asked why Adichie, being such an important role model for girls waited this long to tell her story.

Icon living

In recent years, the author has become a feminist icon in her own right. Much of this is down to her storytelling, and her speeches which have referenced in various works of contemporary art.

Chimamanda Adichie Shares Her Sexual Assault Encounter At 17

The most notable of them is perhaps "We Should All Be Feminists", a speech which American pop star, Beyonce interpolated in her song "Flawless", off the "Beyonce" album.

Chimamanda's story will help many Nigerian girls who may feel alone and devalue by sexual abuse and assault, problems which our society has swept under the carpet for years.

The author acknowledged that her need to address injustice often drives her to work but in recent times, she's been making an effort not to let the social issues that affect her drive her storytelling.

She also spoke against the anti-LGBT laws in many African countries, adding that it was immoral to criminalise something that isn't criminal.