Heifer All-Stars - Uzodinma Iweala

Lester Brown - Environmentalist	Ann Rubin - Knitter	Mel West- Builder	Uzodinma Iweala - Writer

Uzodinma Iweala

Calling Uzodinma Iweala a writer is like calling da Vinci a painter. Yes, the 26-year-old’s first novel, Beasts of No Nation, was hailed by critics everywhere as the debut novel of the year and showered with every imaginable award. And yes, it did lead to a two-book contract

Photo by Obande provided by Harper Collins

Iweala, born in Washington, D.C., to Nigerian parents, was raised between two continents. He continued visiting West Africa while attending Harvard University, conducting research for his undergraduate thesis. When he graduated in 2004, this thesis would become his first novel with help from his advisor, novelist Jamaica Kincaid.

And then, in the wake of the awards and recognition from Beasts of No Nation, Iweala moved to Nigeria. During this time, he began a relationship with the Columbia University’s Earth Institute, the organization headed by Jeffrey Sachs. Beyond being merely themes in his fiction, health and human rights are his life’s work.

Iweala wrote a scathing and much-reprinted article in The Washington Post in July 2007 titled “Stop Trying to ‘Save’ Africa.” In it, he took aim at the current spate of “fashionable social causes” complete with celebrity endorsers. The West, said Iweala, likes to fantasize about its role as savior of civilization and bringer of aid to the helpless African, subtly promoting age-old stereotypes. Instead, he argues, we should be equal global partners.

But writing and advocating for reform were not enough for this powerhouse. Iweala was soon making another trans-Atlantic move, this time to begin medical school at Columbia University. Yes, this young writer with a multibook publishing deal who, in his spare time works with the Earth Institute, is also studying to be a doctor.