The danger of a single story
Novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie delivered a powerful TED talk in 2009. She raised the crucial issue that we can have pictures, stories and ideas about people groups and cultures that are too narrow, too restrictive and limiting. We can live lives with these stories in our minds, shaping the way we see and interact with people from these groups and cultures. Watch this video and use the below questions to apply into your life.
Questions for reflection
- What are the ‘single stories’ you have about different ethnic groups in South Africa?
- What are the ‘single stories’ you have about people from different socio-economic classes in South Africa?
- How can you have more than a single story? How can you expand the number of stories about a people, culture or place?
- Who can you be listening to in order expand these stories?
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