60-year-old author, Ms Anne Giwa-Amu, accused Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie of Plagiarism and Chimamanda has now responded.
Giwa-Amu claimed that Chimamanda’s “Half of a Yellow Sun” was plagiarised with bits of her work; “Sade: United we stand.”
According to Giwa-Amu, in a YouTube video, she accused Chimamanda of plagiarism and also accused Chinua Achebe of playing a role in “giving” her work to Chimamanda who then rewrote it as Half of a Yellow Sun.
She explained how she published her work with the late Achebe, having her work reviewed by Heinemann’s African Writers Series, of which Achebe was the Editorial Adviser. Her writing agreement with them lasted till 2019.
Furthermore, it’s claimed that Chimamanda Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun was vetted by Achebe.
Giwa-Amu asserts that Chimamanda stole bits of her work with the help of Achebe, sharing documents to validate her claims.
She elaborated that she discovered Chimamanda had copied her work “Sade” in 2013 when she saw a poster in London advertising the film Half of a Yellow Sun.
Giwa-Amu also mentioned that she found similarities between the front cover of Half of a Yellow Sun and Sade, stating that “They both had a profile picture of a young African woman with the colours of the Biafran flag, excluding green.”
She further stated in the video that after Heimannn Publishers published Shade in 1999, it’s believed that Chinua Achebe contacted Chimamanda Adichie who began writing the infringing novel with the assistance of three editors.
Giwa-Amu also released some documents on her website supporting her claims that Chimamanda stole her work.
Her accusations led to arguments on Twitter as some supported her, saying they saw the similarities between both books, while some defended Chimamanda.
The literary agents of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Wylie Agency, responded to Anne Giwa-Amu’s claims on Facebook.
In a statement, they revealed that “Anne Giwa-Amu brought a legal claim against Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her publishers” in 2016 and her legal claim was struck out by the court in February 2019.
They refuted the claims made by Giwa-Amu, stating that “her present allegations are false, libellous and constitute a harassment to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie”. They also mentioned that “further legal actions are being taken.”
A statement released by the Wylie Agency reads:
STATEMENT REGARDING FALSE CLAIMS FROM ANNE GIWA-AMU
We, the Wylie Agency, are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s literary agents.
In 2016, Anne Giwa-Amu brought a legal claim against Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her publishers. Giwa-Amu alleged that Adichie’s novel HALF OF A YELLOW SUN had plagiarized her own novel. A professional independent reader was appointed to read both novels. The reader concluded that there was absolutely no basis for Giwa-Amu’s claim and advised that the claim should not be pursued. Giwa-Amu nevertheless continued with the claim.
On 15 February 2019, Anne Giwa-Amu’s claim brought against Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her publishers was struck out by the court. The court determined that her claim was ‘an abuse of the court’s process.’ The court ordered Giwa-Amu to pay Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her publishers the sum of £14,250, which Giwa-Amu failed to pay. The court also ordered Giwa-Amu to pay the legal costs Adichie incurred in defending her baseless claim. Till date, Giwa-Amu has not paid the money.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her publishers had never heard of Giwa-Amu’s novel until she brought her delusional claim. Her present allegations are false, libellous and constitute a harassment to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Further legal actions are being taken.
Signed: The Wylie Agency
Twitter reactions to Chimamanda’s statement can be found below.
