Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie receives Havard’s highest honours
Renowned Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was presented with the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, the highest honour in the field of African and African American studies at Harvard University’s Sanders Theater in Cambridge.
Chimamanda is known for her intricate writings and support for gender equality. She spoke at the 2018 Harvard College Class Day and was a fellow at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute from 2011 to 2012.
She received the medal at a ceremony she attended on Thursday, October 6. Prior to this year’s ceremony, the W.E.B. Du Bois medal had stalled following the start of the COVID 19 pandemic.
In 1895, Dubois became the first African-American to receive a Ph.D. from Harvard. Scholars, artists, writers, journalists, benefactors, and public servants have all received the medal in the past.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Laverne Cox, Agnes Guns, Raymond J. McGuire, Deval Patrick, and Betye Saar are a few other people who received the 2022 honour.
In appreciation of their contributions to African and African American culture and the life of the intellect, the medal is given to individuals in the United States and other countries.
READ ALSO: Nigeria: Wole Soyinka appointed Professor of Theatre in UAE varsity
Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of the Hutchins Center, stated in a formal statement that the 2022 honorees show an unwavering devotion “to pushing the boundaries of representation and creating opportunities for advancement and participation for people who have been too often shut out from the great promise of our times.”
With the award, Chimamanda has added her name to the list of trailblazing figures that includes Nasir “Nas” Jones, John Lewis, Steven Spielberg, athlete-activist Colin Kaepernick, Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, Ava Duvernay, Dave Chappelle, Queen Latifah, and others.
Source: News Agencies
Abeeb Lekan Sodiq is a Managing Editor & Writer at theafricandream.net. He is as well a Graphics Designer and also known as Arakunrin Lekan.
