Remembering Buchi Emecheta: 8 Facts About Nigerian Writer Who Fought for Women's Freedom and Education
Nigerians have produced many revolutionary writers whose impacts people are still enjoying to date, and one of them is novelist Buchi Emecheta who authored more than 20 books including The Joys of Motherhood.
In remembrance of Emecheta, Legit.ng presents eight facts about this great woman.
Pay Attention: Legit.ng is on a mission to support vulnerable children of Calabar – join the initiative on Patreon, let’s change more lives together!
1. Born on July 21, 1944
Florence Onyebuchi "Buchi" Emecheta was born in Lagos on July 21, 1944. Her father, Jeremy Nwabudinke who was a railway worker and moulder, died when she was only nine years. Buchi's mother died when she was a teenager, according to Wikipedia.
Source: Facebook
2. She attended Methodist Girls' School in Yaba
Buchi spent her early childhood at an all-girls missionary school. When her father died, she was given a scholarship to Methodist Girls' School in Yaba, Lagos.
3. Married at the age of 16
After the death of her mother, Buchi married Sylvester Onwordi, a schoolboy to whom she had been engaged since she was 11 years old.
4. Her marriage was filled with unhappiness and violence
When she moved to London with her husband, Buchi was unhappy in her marriage and she suffered violence at the hands of her spouse.
Her experiences were reflected in her novels. According to Buchi, her husband burnt her first manuscript. Buchi had to rewrite it and she birthed her debut book titled The Bride Price, which was published in 1976.
5. She became a single parent
She left her husband when she was pregnant with her fifth child at the age of 22. She trained her kids alone.
6. She earned a degree in sociology against all odds
Despite the fact that she was the only one training her kids, Buchi was able to earn a BSc (Hons) degree in Sociology in 1972 from the University of London.
7. Working as library officer
The celebrated writer worked as library officer for the British Museum in London from 1965 to 1969. She was a youth worker and sociologist for the Inner London Education Authority between 1969 and 1976.
From 1976 to 1978, she worked as a community worker in Camden, North London. Despite training five children alone, Buchi was able to write and publish best seller novels.
8. Suffered stroke and died
Buchi suffered a stroke in 2010, and she died in London on January 25, 2017, at the age of 72.
Nigerian writer wins 2020 Commonwealth short story prize
Legit.ng previously reported that a 23-year-old Nigerian writer identified as Innocent Chizaram Ilo won the 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for Africa region.
Chizaram's short story titled When a Woman Renounces Motherhood won him the prize.
Ilo, who is the youngest writer to be awarded the African region prize since the establishment of the Commonwealth prize in 2012, received £2,500 (N1,220,237.50) and a publication with Granta.
Source: Legit.ng
