Video: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Speaks on Renaming Self

Multiple award-winning author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, has in an interview that has left Nigerians with surprised, confessed that she gave herself the name "Chimamanda". The writer who spoke of the name that became common in Nigeria as result of her popularity, revealed that she was named "Ngozi Grace" at birth but invented the name"Chimamanda" shortly before the release of her first best selling novel, Purple Hibiscus.

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Explaining that the had no particular love for her birth names because she felt "Grace" was a reference to her mother whom she was named and for and ''Ngozi" a very common name, Ms. Adichie disclosed that she first took on the name "Amanda" during her Catholic confirmation but become uncomfortable with the name after her relocation to The US and a subsequent realisation of the commonality of the name "Amanda". The writer explained that while she had thinking of how to again return to her roots via adoption of a native name that would be similar to "Amanda",the idea to include "Chim" to "Amanda" came to her while she had been visiting her brother in England.

Watch the video of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie providing details on her decision to rename herself: