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On Saturday 11th October, Miss Davies and Ms Thomson arranged for several SFC1 IB students, along with a couple of keen UC students, to attend Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s talk at the Cheltenham Literature Festival.

Kitty, a UC5 student, shares some of her thoughts on the event below:

“At the event, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie accepted the Sunday Times award for Literary Excellence, a fitting recognition for Adichie’s profound, continuous influence on global literature.

“During the Q&A session regarding her new book, Dream Count, Adichie opened the event by expressing a sense of great disappointment towards current global events, particularly those affecting women. “Why create if you’re satisfied?” she asked, stating her writing to be her response to the stories frequently left untold.

“One of the central themes she explored was the pervasive yet subtle way in which pretence is integrated into women’s lives, shaping the way we behave to such an extent that it hinders authenticity. Adichie critiqued behaviours that exacerbate these outdated gender roles, such as the normalisation of women waiting passively for men to propose. The conversation naturally extended then to the portrayal of women’s bodies in literature, and how Adichie feels female struggles are not presented as being a valid literary theme. She noted the underlying feeling that women are almost being punished for what are natural and essential processes and emphasised that “it is impossible to talk about women without talking about how women’s bodies shape their lives”.

“I truly admire the way Adichie confronts these issues directly, using her writing to challenge silence and complacency, compelling the reader to question the unspoken rules that dictate women's lives. Dream Count continues her exploration of the challenging realities that all women face, and hearing her speak was truly an unforgettable experience.”

Emma, an SFC1 IB student, also shared her thoughts on the event and how it will support her study of Adichie in the Sixth Form:

“Getting to attend the Adichie talk was a truly inspiring experience.

“Besides her insights on her writing process, including how grief inspired her in her latest book, Adichie’s frank candour in her discussion of modern politics, and how feminism is still very much needed, was refreshing.

“Her feminism is a key part of her writing, and hearing her speak on issues she cares about helped expand our understanding of her personal context as a writer, which will be invaluable as we study her novel, Purple Hibiscus, over the coming weeks and months.

“English Literature in IB focuses on an international, intertextual, intersectional analysis of literature, and her discussion of Nigeria, her childhood, and her other influences, equip us to explore this text thoroughly.

Miss Davies, Teacher of English and Head of Debating & Public Speaking