Review: We Should All Be Feminists By Chimamanda Adichie

Chimamanda Adichie is a storyteller of her generation, her ideas are spoken or written with so much conviction for the cause she strongly believes in. Following her TEDxEuston Talk in 2012, this short novel is a modified version of that speech We Should All Be Feminists.

Photo Credit: Vogue

I remember watching this video on YouTube and changing all my social media handles to ‘happyafricanfeminist’ a paradox in the minds of many who believe that feminism is the philosophy of angry women. I had found a sister spirit in the words of Chimamanda. It came with a lot of backlash because many in this present generation do not still understand the concept of feminism, despite the change in society.

In page 11, Chimamanda talks of the misconception of feminism,

“……that word feminist is so heavy with baggage: you hate men, you hate bras, you hate African culture, you think women should always be in charge, you don’t wear make-up, you don’t shave, you’re always angry, you don’t have a sense of humour, you don’t use deodorant.” – Chimamanda Adichie

Misconceptions that are not worthy of being called arguments but based on the inability of people to believe in gender equality.

In 50 pages, she sheds light on the issue that has been the doctrine of our society. This novel is straight to the point and does not categorically state all the details on the subject, but it does the needful.

Chimamanda weaves a story of her journey as a feminist, even before she knew what the word meant. Writing about different experiences that have led to this moment and the need for change in the mindset, she makes a compelling argument on why we should all be feminists and doing so one novel at a time.

So who is a feminist?

“A man or woman who says, ‘Yes, there’s a problem with gender as it is today and we must fix it, we must do better” – Chimamanda Adichie.

Every house, organization, industry should have this book in their culture deck. So much growth in society can be achieved when we understand who a feminist is and why we should all be feminists.