Chimamanda Ngozi, writer: If our leaders read good novels, they would lead better'

"My sensibility as a human being is Nigerian, but America is also a second home for me, and I'm very aware of American power. By that I don't mean political power, but rather soft power the way that everyone in the world is following American news, when I'm thinking, why should they really? One of the things I like to do is look at commercials. I like to look at billboards and turn the TV on."

"Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 48, arrived in the Mexican city on Saturday to deliver her keynote address The Truth of Stories, one of the highlights of the event. The talk had originally been scheduled for the previous weekend but was canceled due to health reasons. The author of bestsellers Americanah (2013) and We Should All Be Feminists (2014) divides her life between her native Nigeria and the United States, where she has lived for more than two decades."

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie arrived in Guadalajara to deliver her keynote The Truth of Stories after a previous cancellation for health reasons. She divides her life between Nigeria and the United States and is regarded as one of the most prominent literary voices. She recently published Dream Count, her first novel in ten years, following the lives of four Nigerian women. She reflected on American soft power and the global attention to American news. She examines commercials, billboards, and television to compare what other cultures and America consider aspirational, noting Mexican billboards appeared to affirm Mexican identity.

Read at english.elpais.com