Half of a Yellow Sun; Chimamanda’s Fashion; Boko Haram; MDG’s

Half of a Yellow Sun

I shared the preview of the promotional video for the film Half of a Yellow Sun  a couple of weeks ago; here is the finished product. You’ll see why I wanted to show it if you watch to the end. Or watch a minute or two and then skip to the end!

The movie Half of a Yellow Sun has been showing in Nigeria since early August. It’s a love story that takes place against the backdrop of the Biafran War, Nigeria’s civil war that lasted from 1967 into early 1970.

My husband’s secondary (high) school, Dennis Memorial Grammar School in Onitsha, Nigeria, has an active Yahoo group. He receives their email. A recent writer, Kalajine Anigbogu, recommended that every Nigerian age 50 and older see the movie because they’ll remember, and everyone under 50 see it to learn about Biafra. He says the movie is “brutally honest.”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, award-winning author of the book the film is based on, is making a name for herself in fashion as well as literature. What fun!

It was Brittle Paper that alerted me with an article Keeping Up With Chimamanda’s Swanky Wardrobe. 

New United Nations Development Goals

Do you remember the Millennium Development Goals? Before the start of this millennium, the UN announced eight goals to improve the lives of the world’s poorest by 2015. Among them were to cut the rate of extreme poverty in half, halt the spread of HIV/AIDS, and provide universal primary education. Some of the goals have been achieved and all have made a difference.

Now there is work on a new set. Matt Ridley writes about what he believes should be the priorities for helping the world’s poor. It’s an excellent article.

He points out how difficult it is to prioritize when people could easily name hundreds of goals!

I like his insight into how to choose what is most worthwhile. And he talks about competing interests – people who get hold of a goal they care about and find it hard to compromise. I look forward to learning about the next set of goals. What would you select?

Boko Haram and a Conversation

In June I shared with you information about the national convention of returned Peace Corps volunteers in Nashville. Friends of Nigeria also held its own meetings. We heard a talk by Prof. Moses Ochonu on the background of Boko Haram. Many of his comments were challenged by Abdullahi Edward Tomasiewicz, a former Peace Corps volunteer who lives in Kano, Nigeria, and is active with the Arewa Research & Development Project, ARDP, in Northern Nigeria.

Ochonu responded, and there has been an ongoing back-and forth.

You can check it out at the Friends of Nigeria website where the conversation has continued.

My Memoir Moving Forward

CreateSpace, where I’m publishing my book, has sent my edited manuscript for my review. They also sent an editorial letter.

I’m thrilled with the editor’s positive comments. She said, “Your tone and writing style strike a balance between casual and informative, which is perfect for this book. The interspersal of facts about Nigeria, Peace Corps, and world events with your experiences and life events grounds the memoir and makes it relatable.”

Now I have to read her edits and make any changes or last-minute additions – she suggested an index of Igbo words and phrases – and send it back. I have to choose my title from all the suggestions I’ve been collecting, including the wonderful ones you sent me.

In a few weeks I’ll hold the finished book in my hand! Can you imagine how excited I am?

What are you looking forward to?