Achiebe TED talk

In this impactful and mind opening TED talk, Nigerian author and story teller, Chimamanda Adichie talks about the danger of a single perspective; of having one single enclosed perception of other cultures, societies, governments, etc. She interprets this closed perspective as a “single story”, and further develops how one-sided perspectives can be dangerous. As the speech commenced, and she introduced her argument, I asked myself, what could possibly be the danger of a single story? Near the ending of the speech I comprehended. It is dangerous because it makes you ignorant. It makes you only understand one side of things. It demonstrated us human’s tendency to, through media and other information sources, only capture one perspective of several cultures and societies. An example is when she tells her experience is Guadalajara, Mexico. After hearing through media large debates from the United States point of view about Mexican immigration and high crime rates, Adichie comes to Mexico with the knowledge that this is what she will observe. She was completely wrong. The recognition of this one sides perspective makes me recognize this Nigerian author as open minded, and she made me immediately makes connections about the various single stories I have. The idea that the chinese society was corrupt, not educated and violent, was transmitted to me by the society I grew up in, and all my life I perceived Chinese culture as one that contained these traits. Like Achiebe, going to China for a cultural immersion program was mind opening. There was much more than aggressive behaviors and strange meals. There was a culturally diverse country, with highly educated individuals that were responsibly for high technological and educational developments. China was a country that was successfully reemerging from an intense economic recession. She makes clear that there are many sources, such as books, that impulse this one sided point of view. Her frequent reading of American and British books made her as a child write about typical traits corresponding to these type of literature. This made her have one perspective about this culture; one filled with blue eyed blonde kinds playing in the snow ad eating apples. In my opinion, we can all relate to this. Another great example of a culture Achiebe is originally from, is Africa. Since I was a child, I was exposed to the greatest single story about the African culture of all time. Or I was shown pictures of tribal groups in Kenya not wearing cloth and using spears, or I was shown statistics of high mortality and AIDS rates surrounding all the African countries. In my opinion, Achiebe successfully transmits her point by explaining the other side of Africa, which most people, for example her ignorant American roommate that was surprised that an “African” listened to contemporary music and spoke English, do not comprehend. Most western literature about Africa is also focused on the negative aspects. John Lock, a famous explorer, wrote in his journal about his observations. He wrote about getting to live with people that acted like animals: beasts. People that that unordinary traditions that made them different from the western culture, which until now, is considered a negative aspect. Furthermore, one must see the two sides of a story. Africa is also a very culturally diverse continent, filled with very perseverant individuals that have reached very high positions. It is a continent filled with enthusiasm and creativity. In conclusion, I think that Achiebe effectively transmits that is many occasions, mostly in the social and cultural aspects, having a one sides perspective is dangerous as it closes your mind. I agree to this argument, and as well agree that single stories are effectively dangerous as they do not feed the mind and generate ignorance.