Chimamanda Adichie urges readers to ‘Dream Boldly’ at SIBF 2025

November 09, 2025 / 4:58 PM

Sharjah 24: Sharjah, UAE: Celebrated Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie inspired readers to “dream boldly” and “speak their truths” during her session at the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2025), where she presented her latest book Dream Count. Speaking with moderator Abdul Karim Hanif before a packed audience, Adichie highlighted how stories shape identity, challenge power, and give new generations the courage to imagine better futures.

Home, identity, and Nigerian contrasts

Opening her talk with reflections on home, Adichie discussed the three affluent Nigerian women at the heart of her new novel and the complexities of privilege and poverty in her country.

“Nigeria is a country of staggering contrasts – a small, very wealthy minority living beside deep poverty,” she said. “People long for luxury not just as an aspiration, but because it feels so near – almost within reach, yet never truly attainable.”

Family, fashion, and feminism

Blending humour and candour, Adichie spoke about the women who shaped her, especially her mother, and recalled filmmaker Mira Nair introducing herself as “the producer of the new mayor of New York City,” referring to her son. “My mother was the producer of the writer in me,” she said.

The award-winning author, who was honoured with a Shorty Award in 2018 for her Wear Nigerian campaign, described fashion as a form of cultural pride. “Fashion and style, for me, are a form of gentle nationalism,” she explained. “I mostly wear Nigerian designers not only to support immense local talent but because I’m proud of where I come from.”

Writing through loss and grief

Adichie also shared how the deaths of her parents in 2020 deeply affected her and inspired Dream Count. “For years, I couldn’t write fiction – and fiction is the love of my life,” she said. “Then my father died, and months later my mother passed away on his birthday. Writing Dream Count became my refuge and a way to survive grief.”

A lifelong love for storytelling

When asked if she felt “chosen to write,” Adichie reflected on her early passion for storytelling. “I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to write,” she said. “When I was ten and had an appendectomy, my sister asked what I wanted her to bring me in the hospital, and instead of chocolate, I asked for exercise books. I just wanted to write.”

Closing moments

The session concluded with a book signing, as readers lined up to meet the author of acclaimed works such as Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah. Adichie’s words left the audience inspired to dream, write, and live with courage and authenticity.