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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story | TED

TED

15.6M views 17 years ago

Warm-up Questions

What do you think the phrase “the danger of a single story” means?
Where do you think “single stories” about countries or people come from?
How can listening to a TED talk change the way we think about other cultures?

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story | TED

Stories, childhood reading, and discovering African books (00:00 – 06:40)

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1. When Adichie first started writing stories as a child, what were her characters like?

They were white with blue eyes and played in the snow.
They were animals that lived in the jungle.
They were Nigerian children who ate mangoes and talked about heat.

2. What does Adichie say her early reading shows about children and stories?

Children are not influenced by what they read.
Children are very “ontvanklik en vatbaar” (receptive) to stories.
Children prefer only true stories to fiction.

3. How did discovering African writers affect her?

It helped her realize people like her could exist in literature.
It made her stop liking British and American books completely.
It convinced her that only foreign books were valuable.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story | TED

Single stories about poverty and about Africa (06:40 – 13:20)

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1. What surprised Adichie when she visited Fide’s village?

His mother showed a beautiful patterned basket made of colored raffia.
His brother was a famous musician.
His family owned a big house and a car.

2. What was her American roommate’s “single story” about Africa?

Africa is mainly a story of catastrophe and suffering.
Africa is mostly the same as the United States.
Africa is a place of many different languages and modern cities.

3. Why did a professor say her novel was not “eg aan Afrika” (authentically African)?

Because her characters were educated, middle-class, and did not starve.
Because it included too many Nigerian languages.
Because it was written in English.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story | TED

Power, stereotypes, many stories, and a concluding message (13:20 – 19:17)

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1. According to Adichie, what does the Igbo word “nkali” relate to?

A principle of power: “to be greater than another.”
A type of Nigerian music.
A traditional story style used in Nigeria.

2. What does Adichie say is the problem with stereotypes?

They are boring and hard to remember.
They are incomplete and make one story the only story.
They are always completely untrue.

3. What is her main conclusion about stories?

Stories don’t matter as much as facts and numbers.
Many stories matter, and rejecting a single story helps us regain a kind of paradise.
Stories only harm people by spreading lies.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story | TED

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1. What is a “single story” in Adichie’s talk?

A fictional story that is told to children at bedtime
A repeated, simplified narrative that reduces people to one thing
One person’s autobiography written in one book

2. How does Adichie connect “single stories” to power?

People with more power can decide which stories are told and which become “the” story.
Power makes people stop telling stories.
Only governments can create single stories.

3. Which action best helps prevent the “danger of a single story”?

Listen to many different perspectives and stories about the same people/place
Avoid learning about other cultures so you don’t stereotype
Only trust stories told by famous writers

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story | TED

Describe a time when you realized you had only a “single story” about a person, place, or group. What changed your mind?
How do books, movies, and news media create “single stories”? Give one example and suggest a better “balance of stories.”
Adichie says stereotypes are not necessarily untrue, but incomplete. Do you agree? Why or why not?
What can schools, libraries, or social media platforms do to help people hear many stories instead of only one?