Swedish teenagers are about to get a whole lot more feminist, because a new translation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s feminist book is being given to every 16-year-old in Sweden. Alla Borde Vara Feminister is the Swedish translation of Adichie’s We Should All Be Feminists, which started life as a TEDx talk that Adichie delivered in 2013. Adichie’s TEDx talk was so prolific that even Beyoncé sampled part of it in the iconic track “Flawless” — and soon Adichie adapted it into this short, 52-page feminist text.
We Should All Be Feminists has been praised as a wonderfully accessible exploration of feminism. Even those who have never read a feminist text before in their lives will be able to dive straight into Adichie’s book, and learn all about the complexities of intersectional, cross-cultural feminism before they’ve even noticed they’re being taught anything. So the fact that this book will be read by every 16-year-old in Sweden is fantastic. Because it means that every 16-year-old in Sweden, of any gender, will have the chance to truly understand gender inequality, and how it can be overcome by empathy.
Adichie sent a specially recorded message to the schoolchildren receiving We Should All Be Feminists, expressing her hope that one day they will “live in a world that is truly just and equal.” This book is a great step in that direction.
The book has been published in association with the Swedish Women’s Lobby. The Lobby’s chair, Clara Berglund, said of the book:
“This is the book I would have wanted to get for all the guys in my class when I was 16 years old. That is why it is so important that we contribute to this project. It is a gift to all students in grades two, but also a gift to ourselves and to future generations.”
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