Vanguard
5 October 2008
FRONTLINE Nigerian novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has been selected as one of the 25 recipients of this year's edition of the highly esteemed "genius" fellowship of the MacAuthur Foundation worth $500,000, nearly N60m.
Nigeria's Adichie and Tanzanian-born Walter Kitundu are the only African recipients of the grant which is often given to gifted people selected for "their creativity, originality, and potential to make important contributions in the future".
A statement by the MacArthur Foundation described the recipients of its fellowship as "extraordinarily creative individuals who inspire new heights in human achievement". The Foundation's president, Jonathan Fanton further observed that "with their boldness, courage and uncommon energy, this new group of Fellows, men and women of all ages in diverse fields, exemplifies the boundless nature of the human mind and spirit".
The Fellowship offers, with no strings attached, the opportunity for Fellows to accelerate their current activities or take their work in new directions. It offers an unusual level of independence to Fellows to underscore the spirit of freedom that is intrinsic to creative endeavours.
Adichie was singularly praised for her multiple prize winning novel - Half of a Yellow Sun which, according to the Foundation, explores the circumstances that led to the ethnic conflict that later snowballed into a civil war in her native Nigeria. Tanzanian-born Kitundu is a multi-talented sound and visual artist, graphic designer, composer and instrument builder.
MacArthur Fellows are usually nominated. Hundreds of anonymous nominators assist the Foundation in identifying people to be considered for a MacArthur Fellowship. Nominations are accepted only from invited nominators, a list that is constantly renewed throughout the year.
They are chosen from many areas and challenged to identify people who demonstrate exceptional creativity and promise. A 12-member Selection Committee, whose members also serve anonymously, meets regularly to review files, narrow the list, and make final recommendations to the Foundation's board of directors.
The number of Fellows selected each year is not fixed; typically, it varies between 20 and 25. This year's list of winners includes an astronomer, a neuroscientist, an inventor, an urban farmer, a geriatrician, an optical physicist, a saxophonist, a critical cure physician, a structural engineer, a stage lighting designer, and anthropologist and a novelist.
There seems to be no end yet in sight to the growing appreciation of Adichie's special gift by diverse peoples and cultures since she drew global attention with her debut novel, Purple Hibiscus, in 2003. The French translation of Half of a Yellow Sun, her better known novel is due for release in October in Paris.
Adichie who has been in Lagos since she rounded off her 10-day International Creative Writing Workshop, the second in a series under the sponsorship of Fidelity Bank Plc was marking her birthday with family and friends when a phone call came from the Foundation last week, intimating her about her selection for the Fellowship.
"I was thrilled and grateful," she wrote in an e-mail message to New York Times. "I like to say that America is like my distant uncle who doesn't remember my name but occasionally gives me pocket money. That phone call filled me with an enormous affection for my uncle!" The inaugural class of MacArthur Fellows was named in 1981. Including this year's Fellows, 781 people, ranging in age from 18 to 82 at the time of their selection, have been named MacArthur Fellows since the programme began.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Vanguard. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
