Are people too afraid of saying the wrong thing? Writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie thinks so. And she says it is killing creativity.
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Learning and creativity are dying says writer
Are people too afraid of saying the wrong thing? Writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie thinks so. And she says it is killing creativity.
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What's happening?
Young people are afraid to ask questions in case they ask the wrong thing. This is the warning of a top writer in a BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is the UK's national broadcaster. lectureA speech given to an audience. on freedom of speech.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a famous author from NigeriaA country in western Africa. More people live in Nigeria than in any other country in Africa.. She is known for her books Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun, which won the Women's Prize for FictionThings that are fictional are made up. .
In the lecture, Adichie said that people today stop themselves from asking questions. They are worried about receiving hateful messages and insults. And this, she said, could lead to "the death of curiosityAsking questions and wanting to know why things happen. , the death of learning and the death of creativity".
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Adichie said another book, The Satanic Verses, would probably not be written or printed today. When it was published in 1988, some thought it insulted IslamA religion centred around the Quran. Followers of Islam are called Muslims. .
This summer, its author, Salman Rushdie, was attacked while speaking in the USA. He survived.
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Are people too afraid of saying the wrong thing?
Yes! People stop themselves from speaking for fear of being criticised, insulted or worse. This is stopping people from being creative.
No! The world is still a very free place. Most people are allowed to say exactly what they think. And there should be some limits on free speech, anyway.
Keywords
BBC - The British Broadcasting Corporation is the UK's national broadcaster.
Lecture - A speech given to an audience.
Nigeria - A country in western Africa. More people live in Nigeria than in any other country in Africa.
Fiction - Things that are fictional are made up.
Curiosity - Asking questions and wanting to know why things happen.
Islam - A religion centred around the Quran. Followers of Islam are called Muslims.
Learning and creativity are dying says writer
High flyer: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's writing inspired a famous Beyonce song. Glossary
BBC - The British Broadcasting Corporation is the UK's national broadcaster.
Lecture - A speech given to an audience.
Nigeria - A country in western Africa. More people live in Nigeria than in any other country in Africa.
Fiction - Things that are fictional are made up.
Curiosity - Asking questions and wanting to know why things happen.
Islam - A religion centred around the Quran. Followers of Islam are called Muslims.