[Midweek Drive] Looking Beyond the Single Story

Some weeks back, I stumbled on a speech by a renowned Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on 'The Dangers of Single Story' delivered on an American TV talk show, 'Ted Talk'.

Unfortunately, I was unable to see the whole video but the little I caught changed my orientation and perspective about things, issues, people and life.

What is a Single Story?

A single story is a one-sided tale believed and passed down from folks to folks, household to household and generation to generation such that it becomes the only story that depict that place, thing, people, situation or society.

To further explain, I'll quote Chimamanda Adichie here,

"A single story is created by showing people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become".

The single story cliche is conspicuosly rampant in the Nigerian society. We are all consciously or unconsciously guilty in the question of the single story. I for one am culpable of this. The society has helped paint the 'Ibadan indigenes as a set of illiterate, uncivilized who are incapable of differentiating a white from black. I atypicallu held on to this shunning other sides of the story - that is if I cared it existed. I used to view Ibadan as a city riddled with detached and semi-detached low cost houses with 19th century brown roofing sheets. Not just that, I also presumed products of such society (Ibadan) to be half-baked, totally unsound, short-sighted, hare-brained and wacky set of people.

I was deluged with shame when I discovered that Ibadan has awesome landscapes and scenery aside the popular Cocoa House and Premier Hotel. It was also shocking to know Ibadan has got modern shopping facilities, skyscraping structures, National parks etc. Moreover, Ibadan indigenes are one of the funniest, friendliest, smartest, most passionate and industrious people in Nigeria. People like my good friends; Ibukun Adeleye, Fadare Ifeoluwa, Adesuyi Ifeoluwa, to mention a few, have helped change my cognitive belief of Ibadan people and its environ with their shrewdness, dexterity, elegance and jocose personality.

However, today's article is not based on my newly found belief but how you can tweak the single story of your life.

The Single Story and Achieving Greatness

There is more to the single story than just people and places. It cut across all spheres of life. It has to do with life issues and challenges, ideology and personal conception. There is a strong correlation between the single story, failure and success.

The single story shields and confines the mind within the scope it covers. It limits one to that very angle and perspective the story sees. Victim(s) of single story do not see or think outside the box. They accept whatever life cruelly place in their hands without pushing to turn around the situation. They're always restricted to a corner. They succumb to defeat especially if it's a crushing one and justify themselves with statements like, "Afterall, Noone expected me to try this hard or achieve this much".  They wine and dine with failure. They are psychologically deluded by the single story of their life and situation. Everyone is somehow a victim of the single story. Even Jesus Christ didn't escape it. This happened when Phillip told Nathanael that the person they've heard and read about is now amongst men. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. 

Irrespective of the single story you currently live with, life will always provide you two choices; outshione and rewrite that story or live with it.

Great achievers are those not binded by situations around them. They live as situation-changers and solution harbingers. Impossible doesn't exist in their world. They always take obstacles and challenges by the nucha, confront it and won't rest until victory is recorded. I don't know what single story you're currently confined to. Maybe you've been told noone has ever been successful in that line of business in your vicinity or nobody in your family has achieved significant dose of greatness. I want to tell you today, the only person that is capable of stopping you from becoming what you want to be is you! All you need is strongwill, determination, positive attitude to success and God's intervention. If Jim Hines had subscribed to the single story that 'no man will ever go under 10seconds', I bet he'll never be remembered as one of the greatest sprinters of all time and he probably wouldn't have broken the 10seconds barrier. Also, Christophe Lemaitre wasn't bugged by the single story that 'only black sprinters can run under 10seconds barrier'. He broke the 10seconds barrier at the age of 20.

Regardless of the single story you find yourself, always know that you can bend, twist, rewrite and republish this story only if you're willing to embrace and do the unthinkable and unfathomable, which is 'Achieving Greatness'. Trust in your ability to succeed at all times! 

I'll end with this thought form Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,"That when we reject the single story, when we have realised that there is never a single story about any place or situation, we regain a kind of paradise and self-fulfilment."

Now, we draw the curtains on another inspiring episode of Midweek Drive. It's been an awesome time with you. Hope to see you again next week. Enjoy the rest of the week!

Author: LAMBE OLANREWAJU
Column: Midweek Drive

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