Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie condemns the global silence over Israel’s assault on Gaza, urging the world to consider the full history behind the conflict. In a bold interview with Al Jazeera, she slams the reductionist narrative that erases decades of occupation and ethnic cleansing in Palestine.
In a recent interview with Al Jazeera’s Redi Tlhabi, Nigerian author and global literary icon Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie delivered a scathing critique of the international community’s silence on Israel’s deadly campaign in Gaza. Speaking on April 4, 2025, while promoting her latest novel Dream Count, Adichie went beyond literature to shine a light on the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Palestine.
Citing figures published by The Lancet, she noted that an estimated 186,000 Palestinians had died by mid-2024 due to Israeli military operations. She also highlighted a statement from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, which reported nearly 40,000 children orphaned as a result of the ongoing bombardment.
Adichie called out what she described as the “deliberate framing” of the Palestinian story, where history is often erased, and violence is contextualized only from October 7, 2023 — the day attacks by Hamas occurred. She argued that ignoring decades of occupation, land seizure, and systemic violence distorts public understanding and justifies ongoing atrocities.
Drawing parallels to historical injustices, she likened this one-sided narrative to telling the story of Native Americans without first acknowledging European colonization and genocide.
Her impassioned comments serve as a reminder that the history of Palestine stretches far beyond a single event, and that real peace cannot begin without acknowledging the full story — including the roots of the conflict dating back to the Balfour Declaration and the Nakba.
