Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has said the death of her 21-month-old son has changed her feelings toward Nigeria, telling The New York Times that she no longer wants to return to the country.
“My feelings toward Nigeria have changed,” Adichie said in the interview published Thursday.
Asked whether Nigeria still felt close to her heart, she replied, “I do not want to go back to Nigeria.”
Nkanu, one of Adichie’s twin sons, died in January after suffering a medical emergency at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos.
He had been taken there for an MRI as the family prepared for him to receive further treatment in the United States.
Adichie said her son was sedated with propofol during the MRI and later suffered cardiac arrest.
She recalled a doctor telling her, “Well, look, they gave him too much Propofol.”
“Those were his exact words, which I will never forget until the day I die,” she said.
The circumstances surrounding Nkanu’s death have led to a coroner’s inquest, while legal proceedings have temporarily stalled the inquiry.
Euracare challenged aspects of the inquest in the Lagos State High Court.
Adichie and her husband, Dr. Ivara Esege, have continued to seek answers over their son’s death.
The couple has said their goal is accountability rather than a lawsuit against the hospital.
Despite her pain, Adichie said her family had planned to return to Nigeria because of their surviving children.
“They’re the reason we’re going,” she said, adding that her daughter had described Nigeria as her “happy place.”
Adichie also acknowledged Nigeria’s importance to her life and career.
“Nigeria gave me everything I needed to be able to write,” she said.
But reflecting on her loss, she added, “I still can’t believe we’re talking about my son who died.”
Comments
Add a comment