The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré
Writing a book about the importance of education for girls and equal rights for women in an African context can often become cliche and boring. However, Daré manages to give a new voice to the message, the louding voice of fourteen year old Adunni.
Adunni is a smart, talkative, ambitious and often humorous young girl. Her straight forward reasoning throughout the challenges she faces gives a clear solution to all of her troubles – education. Though this may seem simplistic, Adunni gives the reader multiple reasons why education would improve her life – from avoiding child marriage and domestic slavery to getting a well-paid job.
The book addresses several issues faced by women in Nigeria such as poverty, abuse, sexism, rape and discrimination. It also takes a brave stance on classism through its language: “Nigerians speak something called pidgin English, and I knew I didn’t want to write in pidgin English because even the very educated people speak pidgin English. I wanted it to be nonstandard English. I could make it Adunni’s. It could be her own English, so to speak.” – Daré, 2020
