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“A new and unique kind of love has come into my life” – Chimamanda Adichie talks Motherhood, Female Sexuality & More

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Author Chimamanda Adichie recently held a webchat session with her fans through Guardian UK’s website. The insightful chat gave us a glimpse into the life of the new mum.

Chimamanda answered questions about motherhood, feminism, her creative process, female sexuality and early failure. The author who recently revealed that she gave birth to a baby girl described motherhood as exciting and terrifying at the same time.

See some of the Q&A below.

On her protagonists:

bobinchiclana asked: I love your writing but most of your protagonists are fairly middle-class or privileged. Have you thought of writing about people who are more in the margins of society… in the case of Nigeria in poorer rural communities.

Chimamanda: I am fairly middle-class and privileged. Perhaps not surprising that I mostly write what I know. (However, Ugwu, who is the soul of Half of a Yellow Sun, is not.)

On Traditional Values and Christianity in Modern Nigeria:

flungoutofspace asked: I’m Udoka, and I wanted to ask if you think of the effects of the interaction between traditional Nigerian (esp. Igbo) values and Christianity in modern Nigeria, and what are the implications for fiction that attempts to address that combination?

Chimamanda: I think it is catastrophic that we, in the name of Christianity, are destroying our pre-Christian heritage. An ancient tree burned down during a vigil. Artifacts destroyed in the name of ‘progress.’ We need to tell those stories. If you are thinking of ‘addressing that combination,’ please do. You have a reader here.

On being a new mom:

Sarah Hannan asked: What excites you the most about being a new mom? What terrifies you the most about being a mom?

Chimamanda: Most exciting – a new and unique kind of love has come into my life, glorious and joyful and encompassing and full of discovery. Most terrifying – the anxiety-filled desire to protect her from everything and the terror-filled sense that I cannot.

On Confidence:

MontagandMildred asked: Would you say you’re a confident person? Do you write with the idea that people will want to read what you have to say in your mind or do you write purely for yourself? I tend to be my own worst enemy and believe that no one will enjoy what I have written.

Chimamanda: Self doubt is part of the creative process. I hate to have it but I also realise it is part of the process. Otherwise you become complacent, which is cancerous for creativity. I generally write the kind of books that I like to read.

On Female Sexuality:

mariannemandu asked: One of my favourite things about your books is the way your female characters own themselves and their sexuality in such a natural and unselfconscious way. How much feminist theory informed creating the characters, and what was it, if any?

Chimamanda: Haven’t read much feminist theory and generally try to keep ‘theory’ away from my creative space, if that makes sense. I learned much about feminism from watching women in the world. I so long for a world in which women everywhere are no longer taught to link shame and sexuality.

I love your writing but most of your protagonists are fairly middle-class or privileged. Have you thought of writing about people who are more in the margins of society... in the case of Nigeria in poorer rural communities.
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
I am fairly middle-class and privileged. Perhaps not surprising that I mostly write what I know. (However, Ugwu, who is the soul of Half of a Yellow Sun, is not.)
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I’m Udoka, and I wanted to ask if you think of the effects of the interaction between traditional Nigerian (esp. Igbo) values and Christianity in modern Nigeria, and what are the implications for fiction that attempts to address that combination?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
I think it is catastrophic that we, in the name of Christianity, are destroying our pre-Christian heritage. An ancient tree burned down during a vigil. Artifacts destroyed in the name of 'progress.' We need to tell those stories. If you are thinking of 'addressing that combination,' please do. You have a reader here.
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CharisPD asks:
How much of Ifemelu’s repatriation to Nigeria is based on your own experience? Like her, do you feel at all in crisis because of how much time you spend in America away from your home country?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
No. I have two homes and feel very fortunate and grateful about that. My best shoes are in my home in Lagos, so perhaps that is a reason to feel some crisis.
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As a writer I struggle knowing whether I am putting too much of myself into my characters. How do you which parts of yourself to share and which to keep?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
I wish I could really help. I would say: trust yourself. Trust your writing. Trust your storytelling. If you put in too much of yourself, and it feels emotionally true, then let it be (and really, who is to say which is you and which isn't?).
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Kwa194 asks:
Ama Ata Aidoo has spoken glowingly about you. How do you think the relationship between your and previous generations of African writers can help improve the literary scene across Africa?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
I adore Ama Ata Aidoo. Her work has been very important to me, Our Sister Killjoy is sublime, and the space she occupies in the world - as a feminist, thoughtful, brilliant, wise woman - has also strengthened me. My generation owes a lot to hers. We are able to write because they first did.
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animaux asks:
The advice given to the white male writer who wants to write about a Bengali girl is very short-sighted, in my opinion. It will only ensure that we have more books about middle aged white men and no books about disadvantaged Bengali girls. Is that what we want?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
It's unfortunate that you seem to assume that if a white middle aged man doesn't write about a Bengali girl, then the story of Bengali girls will not be written. There are in fact many Bengalis who can write about Bengali girls - and it probably doesn't feel 'insurmountable' to them. And 'disadvantaged Bengali girl' is a very troubling way of framing an idea of a story. It already suggests that this character will be seen through the lenses of her 'disadvantage' alone. People are people. 'Disadvantaged' people also have agency, and dream, and think, and desire. Sometimes how one frames a story determines whether or not we will see the fullness of a character.
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Sarah Hannan asks:
What excites you the most about being a new mom? What terrifies you the most about being a mom?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
Most exciting – a new and unique kind of love has come into my life, glorious and joyful and encompassing and full of discovery.
Most terrifying – the anxiety-filled desire to protect her from everything and the terror-filled sense that I cannot.
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copacabana asks:
Black hair features prominently in Americanah, as a burning aesthetic and political question. Even though it’s really no one’s business but hers... do you still wish Michelle Obama had left her hair natural, if only to inspire little girls?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
No, I actually do not wish Michelle Obama had natural hair because then Barack Obama would not have won the elections and what a loss that would have been to the world. When her daughters were younger, they were viciously attacked because their hair was twisted. There is a very ugly side to American populism.
Michelle and Barack Obama.
 Michelle and Barack Obama. Photograph: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
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oyelola asks:
In your novel Half of a Yellow Sun which I read about my country’s history, I realised you didn’t mention the two women who were murdered during Nigeria’s first military coup January 15 1966, Latifat Ademulegun and Ahmadu Bello’s first wife, why? Also, during the first coup, civilians were shot in Lagos and none of this was talked about in the novel.
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
Many things were not talked about in the novel. I told the story I wanted to tell. There are still many stories untold (although there is mention of the attacks in Lagos). And thank you for mentioning the women who were murdered.
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'Sometimes while immersed in the multitude voices of others, you just might find your own'

koochacoo asks:
What advice would you give to somebody who would like to write creativity, but has no idea where to start in terms of plotting a story, creating realistic characters and so on? How much planning goes into your own work? Second question – what are your thoughts on creative writing courses?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
They can be helpful if you are clear about why you want to go and if you manage your expectations. Where to start? Write. Just write. Start. And read as much as you can. Read widely and read different things, and sometimes while immersed in the multitude voices of others, you just might 

'To be human is to be flawed'

Sarah Madooh asks:
In Americanah, Ifemelu is a strong woman who moved to a foreign country and moved back to Nigeria on her own. At the end of the novel, she invites Obinze into her apartment.
Ifemelu and Obinze have had a somewhat tumultuous relationship throughout the novel. Even though they deeply loved and cared for each other, I can’t help but feel disappointed by both Ifemelu and Obinze. Ifemelu follows her heart and goes back to her high school ex_boyfriend who has since then become and adulterer. Obinze ignores his moral compass and cheats on his wife.
Your book is wonderfully crafted and I have enjoyed reading it very much. However, do you think that we should hold fictional characters to the same moral high ground as people in real life? Or is that taking literature a bit too seriously?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
I think you should read fiction however you want to. We bring our own stories to the stories we read, and I respect that. I sadly am not able to inhabit this ‘moral high ground.’ Too high for me. I think that to be human is to be flawed. And honest stories about human beings involves failures of different kinds.
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The late great Chinua Achebe is the past while you are the present and future great author to have emerged from Nigeria. How does it feel to be compared to a great as Achebe, to as it were take the baton from him and run on and which of his novels is your favourite and why?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
I think Arrow of God is a classic. One of the best novels ever written. It is a paean to a changing world, and so beautiful and complex, and also so simple – which is truly difficult to do.
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Qu1xot3 asks:
Having achieved renown outside of fiction (for the TED talks etc), do you ever feel as though that celebrity makes it harder to write fiction? Do you feel as though it creates a (perhaps limiting) set of audience expectations? Or affects your own expectations?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
No. I feel as if I use two different parts of myself. My writing matters more, gives me more joy. But speaking about issues I care about has become extremely important to me, and something I feel passionate about.
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Sarah Hannan asks:
Do you think you are more like Olanna or more like Kainene and why? Do you think Kainene is the stronger sister?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
A friend said I divided myself in two and created each of the characters. I’m still thinking about it. I certainly admire Kainene more.
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How would you suggest one should write of a culture which is alien without cliche or stereotype? I am male, 50 and white and would like to write about a young Bengali girl. The responsibility feels huge; do you think the task is insurmountable?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
I think the first question is: WHY do you want to write about a young Bengali girl? There are still wonderful stories to be told about 50-year-old white men. If it is feeling unsurmountable, perhaps that's a sign.
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'Complacency is cancerous for creativity'

Would you say you’re a confident person? Do you write with the idea that people will want to read what you have to say in your mind or do you write purely for yourself? I tend to be my own worst enemy and believe that no one will enjoy what I have written.
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
Self doubt is part of the creative process. I hate to have it but I also realise it is part of the process. Otherwise you become complacent, which is cancerous for creativity. I generally write the kind of books that I like to read.
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Joyce Hamya asks:
What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year?
User avatar for ChimamandaAdichieGuardian contributor
A book of poems by Reginald Dwayne Betts called Bastards of the Reagan Era which is magnificent, and I have just been reading every book by Tessa Hadley after reading her novel The Past. She has such great psychological insights into human beings, which is rare. She is one of the best fiction writers writing today.

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