Half of a Yellow Sun

Adapted from the book written by the excellent author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie



Originally published in 2006, I enjoyed the book immensely, possibly preferring it to the film somewhat
I first saw the film whilst attending at a screening at the BFI a few years back...
I'm certainly no expert on Nigeria's seemingly complex history, far from it, less so with regards to the Politics of the country..
Make no mistake though, this is a film and not a documentary (although it does incorporate some documentary footage), so artistic licence and creativity take center stage.
My initial impressions on watching were just how 'English' the leading family (and ladies) came across. The location is stunning though, and the film is beautifully shot in places
A good watch none the less
[and many thanks for the upload!]

Happy Independence Day Nigeria!

Chimamanda - "I wrote this novel because I wanted to write about love and war, because I grew up in the shadow of Biafra, because I lost both grandfathers in the Nigeria-Biafra war, because I wanted to engage with my history in order to make sense of my present, many of the issues that led to the war remain unresolved in Nigeria today, because my father has tears in his eyes when he speaks of losing his father, because my mother still cannot speak at length about losing her father in a refugee camp, because the brutal bequests of colonialism make me angry, because the thought of the egos and indifference of men leading to the unnecessary deaths of men and women and children enrages me, because I don’t ever want to forget. I have always known that I would write a novel about Biafra. At 16, I wrote an awfully melodramatic play called For Love of Biafra. Years later, I wrote short stories, That Harmattan Morning, Half of a Yellow Sun and Ghosts, all dealing with the war. I felt that I had to approach the subject with little steps, paint on a smaller canvas first, before starting the novel". [click for full interview]