Dear Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,

Dear Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, I want to let you know that you saved a young boy. I want to let you know that you revealed a young boy to himself. I want to let you know that you made a young boy see himself. I want to let you know that you made a young boy feel seen. I want to let you know that you led a young boy towards healing. I want to let you know that you gave a young boy a voice. I want to let you know that you made a young boy see the world better. I want to let you know that the young boy began to seek for more, that the young boy became a citizen of the world, that the young boy decided not to die again, that the young boy began to walk with a surer gait, that the young boy decided to give life a chance, that the young boy began a journey of seeking for the meaning of his life.

Dear Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, I want to let you know that a young boy is still alive because of you.

Nearer To Ourselves

For Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

When our stories were far-fetched

You brought them closer to us.

When our stories meant only one thing

You made them versatile.

When we didn’t understand well,

You cared to explain.

When the stories were one-sided

You made them balanced.

You made us inquisitive.

You made us ask questions

You gave us a mirror to peek at ourselves.

You lighted up the gifts!

You said no to the silences.

You sat down,

Bore the pain,

Heard the calling.

And you answered the calling,

So that others could hear theirs too!

Isaac Dominion Aju is a Nigerian writer whose works have appeared in different literary publications. In the analysis of his creative nonfiction in Penned In Rage Journal (UK), his work was compared to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half Of A Yellow Sun on the theme of identity.