This year’s International Women’s Day was marked recently and in a bid to make the day a memorable one, Canada’s CBC Books, a wing of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation highlighted 22 women writers in Canada that people should read in 2022.
Out of the 22 women, two are Nigerians: Chidiogo Akunyili-Parr, author of ‘I Am Because We Are’ and Deborah Falaye, author of ‘Blood Scion’.
Akunyili-Parr’s book, I Am Because We Are, chronicles how Chidiogo Akunyili-Parr’s late mother, Dora Akunyili, fought against misogyny and corruption in Nigeria. The nonfiction book detailed how Dora Akunyili took on fraudulent drug manufacturers after millions were killed by their products. And when Akunyili became an elected official, she encountered death threats and an assassination attempt. Akunyili-Parr’s mother was persecuted for her beliefs, as did her marriage and six children.
The book explores the significance of community over the individual and the power of kinship.
Chidogo Akunyili-Parr is a Nigerian Canadian writer, orator and the founder of She ROARs, a global community that empowers women. She was included in The Guardian’s list of the 100 most inspirational women in Nigeria.
In Deborah Falaye’s ‘Blood Scion’, a teen named Sloane finds out she is a powerful Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods. However, when she was compelled to join the army under a brutal warlord, she realized she had an opportunity to use her magical powers to triumph over the enemy from within.
Deborah Falaye is a Nigerian Canadian author. She is based in Toronto but she grew up in Lagos, where she spent her time reading African literature, pressuring her grandma for folktales and ensuring her grandfather watched Passions every night.
