03. Dream Count: A story of sisterhood between contemporary African women

In this episode, we turn our gaze to one of Africa’s most powerful literary voices, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and her book Dream Count.This moving work follows four African women — Chia, Omelogor, Zikora, and Kadiatou — each navigating love, ambition, migration, and the harsh weight of injustice. Their stories intertwine into a tapestry of sisterhood, solidarity, and survival.Adichie herself has said: “Women are socialized with the aim of rivaling and hating one another. That is why, when their relationships are sincere and deep, they resemble acts of courage, of resistance. Revolutionary acts.”Join us as we explore these revolutionary acts of friendship, and the dreams that sustain — and sometimes betray — the women who carry them.Here are the resources mentioned in the episode:Chimamanda's TED talk: The danger of a single storyThe story of Chimamanda's name: interviewThe essay about Diallo's case: DSK Vs. The Maid: Who Would the Jury Have Believed?Follow us on Instagram and TikTok.[Spoiler Alert: This content contains major plot details from the book]00:00 Intro01:26 Book Intro and synopsis08:30 The Author11:55 Background & motivation for writing the book18:16 The main themes20:58 The “African woman’s voice”22:05 Sisterhood23:46 Love and partnership26:30 Motherhood37:11 Physical pain that women endure and that is ‘taken for granted’42:45 Sexual violence and justice for women48:39 To be an African51:51 Musings around the question of slavery56:40 Outro