Powerful Quotes From African Books (Part 2)

African writers have written in diverse forms, styles and in many languages. They have been able to creatively put words about their lives, experiences, culture, history and myth together in books published widely on the African continent and beyond.

Many of these books consists sentences that impart divine influence on the mind and soul. eelive.ng is only glad to explore them with you.

This week’s quote peruses the work of one of Nigeria’s finest writers, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

The quote which talks about taking charge of one’s life is from her second novel, “Half Of A Yellow Sun”.

“Your life belongs to you and you alone.”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Even though there are many ways to improve your life, it is solely on you to take the initiative. Life gets better only when it is charged. You have to make life happen, you can’t just let life happen to you. And if you still feel reluctant to be YOU or to take CHARGE, remember No one can express who you are and what you stand for more than you do.

“Half Of A Yellow Sun” tells the story of the Biafran War through the perspective of the characters Olanna, Ugwu, and Richard. The novel takes place in Nigeria prior to and during the Nigerian Civil War (1967–70). The effect of the war is shown through the dynamic relationships of five people’s lives including twin daughters of an influential businessman, a professor, a British citizen, and a houseboy. After Biafra’s declaration of secession, the lives of the main characters drastically changed and were torn apart by the brutality of the civil war and decisions in their personal lives.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an award-winning Nigerian writer whose works range from novels to short stories to nonfiction. She has written the novels Purple Hibiscus (2003), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), and Americanah (2013), the short story collection The Thing Around Your Neck (2009), and the book-length essay We Should All Be Feminists (2014). Her most recent book, Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, was published in March 2017.

By Samiah Olabimpe