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Chimamanda Adichie is revealing some critical and inspiring details from her wedding. It has been a period of mourning for the renowned author and speaker who is mourning both her parents who died 9 months apart.

Chimamanda Adichie Reveals Why She chose to have a mother/daughter dance at her wedding
Chimamanda and her mum do the Mother/Daughter dance at her wedding in 2009

Chimamanda who is usually private, took to her social media on Wednesday the 2nd of June 2021 to give some insights into her wedding , with the aim of honouring her parents, especially her mother.

“I have always felt that western wedding traditions sideline the mother of the bride — the father walks the bride down the aisle, the father has the first dance with the bride, often the father gives a speech while the mother doesn’t. Our wedding, many years ago, was small and lovely, just as we wanted it. I asked family and friends not to post any photos publicly. I wanted privacy. But my need for privacy is now superseded by my desire to publicly honor the rare and wonderful woman I called my mother. And I hope this perhaps inspires any young women (and men) out there who are questioning any kind of convention.” She wrote

Chimamanda has always been an ardent speaker and advocate for black women, feminism and Individuality. Her popular TEDx speech “We Should All Be Feminists”  is one of the most watched TEDx videos of all times.

“Before the wedding, I decided that both my parents would walk me down the aisle. And I decided that my first dance would be with my mother. My father, who I often teasingly called DOS for “Defender of Spouse,” was very supportive. He wasn’t much of a dancer – I inherited his unrhythmic genes – but my mother was. And my mother’s joy on that day was a gorgeous glowing thing. Convention is something made up by somebody and then repeated by others. If convention feels wrong for you, if your skin bristles and your spirit stalls at the thought of doing something “the way it is done,” then stop and act. We can make changes. We can try and craft small slices of the life we want.”

Chimamanda on her Wedding
Chimamanda and her parents walk down the aisle at her big day

We can unmake convention to make things more just, more complete, more beautiful. Not everyone will be happy with you, because it is human nature to try and conserve things as they are, but your spirit will feel full, and there is nothing more meaningful than knowing you have been true to yourself.”

Chimamanda Just published her latest work, “Notes on Grief” which is a timely and deeply personal account of the loss of her father. You can click HERE to get it.

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