Author and speaker, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was honoured with this year’s prize of the annual Everett M. Rogers award. She was recognized for her work in remolding the discourse on race, gender & identity.
Although this was announced in 2018, the ceremony held on the 7th of February 2019 and the award was presented by USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center. The Norman Lear Center was founded to study the social, cultural, economic and political impact of entertainment on the world, to recognize creative excellence in entertainment education designed to benefit society.
All through her acceptance speech, Chimamanda utilized humour and solemnity to strike all the right notes with her audience. She addressed topics including politics and fake news, stating her concerns about the use of the term.
The Everett M. Rogers awards has been presented every year since 2005 in honour of Everett M. Rogers whose book “Diffusion of Innovation” is one of the most cited book in the social sciences.
Actress Danai Gurira from Walking Dead and Black Panther was in attendance and offered opening remarks at the ceremony.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian novelist known around the world for her numerous award-winning works including Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah. Her Ted Talks, The Danger of a Single Story and We should all be feminist is some of the most watched of all time.