Nigerian-American novelist and author of New York Times bestselling novel, Tomi Adeyemi, has been named as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People alongside Nigeria’s multimillionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist Tony Elumelu and physician Tunji Funsho.
The list, which was released on Tuesday, 23rd September 2020, is a compilation of 100 people from different walks of life who are making an impact on business, art, sport, music, and more across the world.
The 27-year-old stormed the literary world with the release of her debut novel ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ in the year, 2018. Children of Blood and Bone is believed to be a herald of a prominent movement: Afrofuturism, fantastical stories rooted in African culture and myth.
The stellar debut novel also caught the attention of famous American-Nigerian sci-fi writer Nnedi Okorafor, who is a best seller herself and has contributed to Black Panther’s fame with her books. What’s significant about both authors is the centering of female protagonists as warriors and the utilising of indigenous cultural folklore to tell magical stories.
Children of Blood and Bone is currently being adapted for the big screen by prolific screenwriter Kay Oyegun who’s worked on Ava DuVernay’s hit series Queen Sugar. TIMES 100 Most Influential List is currently trending on Twitter under #TIMES100.
Adeyemi’s tribute, which was written by ‘Star Wars’ actor John Boyega, who is also of Nigerian descent, shows how unique her writing is and how it has carved out a path for Black generations yet to come.
Boyega wrote: “When someone told me about Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone, describing it as a cross between Harry Potter, the Chronicles of Narnia and Yoruba gods, I was shocked. It sounded like the best combination ever: How had I not heard of it? I read it, then I read it again, then I listened to the audiobook. I was being introduced to a world I couldn’t have imagined before.
“Tomi is the god of ideas. She’s inspiring a lot of young people to write. She creates the very world that we as actors get to play in. And the big-screen adaptation will hire a lot of people and bring more representation to our industry – all that comes directly from Tomi’s imagination. She is going to be very powerful when it comes to bringing stories and ideas to the forefront.
“I would absolutely drop everything to be in the film. If I missed the opportunity to be a part of it, it would be like missing history,” the tribute partly read.
Adeyemi shared her elated response on Instagram:
Adeyemi keeps breaking boundaries in the world’s creative spaces.
Help us keep this literary blog free! Don’t miss our latest Magazine call for submission. We are dedicated to bringing you the best of new fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. This literary magazine and our prizes are run solely by volunteers. In order to keep doing this, we rely on voluntary donations and sponsorships. Click here to donate.
