These beautiful words from the mother of Nigerian literature is the best thing ever

Born on the 21st of July 1944, Buchi Emecheta, the Nigerian trailblazing novelist, is 72 today!

Considered by many to be one of the most important female African writers, she is greatly respected and admired for her creative and narrative writing about African women's experiences in Africa and in Great Britain.

A prolific Igbo Nigerian writer, Emecheta was the first post-war woman writer of African descent to publish in Britain.

She is considered a respected voice for arts and women issues and her themes of racism, discrimination, child slavery, motherhood, female independence and freedom through education have won her considerable critical acclaim and honors, including being selected as one of the Best British Young Writers in 1983 and an Order of the British Empire in 2005.

Her novels include Second-Class Citizen, The Bride Price, The Slave Girl and The Joys of Motherhood.

To celebrate her birthday, below are some of the beautiful statements from her:

1. When she was asked in an interview with Julie Holmes in 1996, why she loves writing fiction, she replied:

"Fiction has a vital social responsibility. In all my novels, I deal with the many problems and prejudices which exist for Black people in Britain today."

She adds:

"I believe it is important to speak to your readers in person... to enable people to have a whole picture of me; I have to both write and speak. I view my role as writer and also as oral communicator."

2. In a radiant wisdom on why unity is important for Black lives to matter, she said:

"Black women all over the world should re-unite and re-examine the way history has portrayed us."

3. Although, she does like the 'feminism' tag, Emecheta explains why it is important for woman to be strong-willed and independent:

"Women are capable of living for so many other reasons than men,"

Compliment this list with Buchi Emecheta on Feminism, 10 Inspiring quotes from the mother of Nigerian literature and 10 of the most powerful female characters in African Literature.

ALSO READ: Buchi Emecheta on feminism, motherhood and why Black lives matter