Just finished reading Chimamanda’s piece titled “It’s Obscene: A True Reflection in Three Parts” and a line has kept on ringing in my head. Sometimes, silence makes a lie begin to take on the shimmer of truth.

The Nigerian feminist author spoke up about the criticism she faced online for an interview she did back in 2017 where she said she saw “trans women as trans women”.

Critics attacked her viciously saying that she didn’t see trans women as real women and surprisingly someone she had previously been close to was one of the cheerleaders in the hate crusade.

After describing the double-crossing, she felt at the hand of the person in question, Adichie went on to address the ‘perceptions, practices, and assumptions of young people these days with a peculiar focus on social media.

She wrote, and I quote “And so we have a generation of young people on social media so terrified of having the wrong opinions that they have robbed themselves of the opportunity to think and to learn and to grow.”

“I have spoken to young people who tell me they are terrified to tweet anything, that they read and re-read their tweets because they fear they will be attacked by their own. The assumption of good faith is dead.”

Click here to read the full essay.

The piece won the hearts of many on Twitter with people commending Adichie’s eloquence and courage to speak up about a problem that was slowly breaking down our society.

By Chika Nnawuogo