Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Serves As Ambassador Of The Global Launch Of “la Nuit Des Idées” ("the Night Of Ideas") In Paris
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was the Ambassador of the 2018 edition of “La Nuit des Idées” (“The Night of Ideas”), a major cultural event dedicated to contemporary thought and the exchange of ideas across “countries, cultures, topics and generations”.
On Thursday, January 25th, the third edition of the annual event gathered intellectuals, researchers, artists and international leaders worldwide around the theme “L’imagination au pouvoir” (“Power to the Imagination”).
The international celebration consisted of over 100 events happening simultaneously in academic and cultural institutions in over 50 countries around the world, with more than 50 events taking place in France alone. These events included debates, conferences, round tables, performances, screenings, concerts, exhibitions, and readings,
all with the common aim of promoting and highlighting the importance of imagination in today’s world.
The official opening night of the 2018 event took place at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Quai d’Orsay, Paris) in the presence of Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs. As the guest of honour for the evening, Ms. Adichie appeared in conversation with French journalist Caroline Broué, a producer for the prominent
French radio station France Culture.
The theme of this year’s event has its origins in the demonstrations that took place in May 1968 during a period of civil unrest in France. In 2018, fifty years after the “May ‘68” events, La Nuit des Idées provided an opportunity to reflect on the current issues of our time and the power of imagination in fields as diverse as philosophy, urban
planning and ecology, art and politics, design and technology.
La Nuit des Idées is coordinated globally by Institut français, a public body responsible for implementing French cultural diplomacy abroad. The Institut works closely under a common brand with the global network of 96 Instituts français, as well as a broader partner group of over 300 Alliances françaises, to promote French language, thought, and knowledge through cultural exchange.