Nigeria’s Chimamanda Makes Meghan Markle’s ‘Forces For Change’ Vogue Cover

Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is amongst 14 other women around the globe who will be featuring on the next issue of British Vogue magazine.

The 15 women who were chosen by the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, are Ms Greta Thunberg (the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist), Ms Ardern, American actress Jane Fonda, Salma Hayek, Laverne Cox, Jameela Jamil, Gemma Chan, Yara Shahidi, as well as models Christy Turlington Burns, Adwoa Aboah and Adut Akech.

Chimamanda Adichie, Nigerian Novelist

Boxer Ramla Ali, writer Sinead Burke, Royal Ballet dancer Francesca Hayward and author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie complete the line-up,

Meghan is the guest editor of the September edition of the fashion bible, dubbed Forces For Change, and has been working on the project for the past seven months.

Greta Thurnberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist

She said she hopes readers feel as inspired by the magazine as she does, having hand-picked a varied mix of powerful cover stars spanning politics, entertainment and beyond.

The front of the magazine is divided into 16 boxes, with the extra spot featuring a mirror designed to encourage and inspire readers to use their own platform to make a difference.

More high-profile women feature inside, including former US first lady Michelle Obama and Dr Jane Goodall, who are interviewed by Meghan and the Duke of Sussex respectively.

The duchess said working on the popular magazine had been a “rewarding process” that she wanted to make sure focused on “values, causes and people making an impact in the world today”.

Ramla Ali, former refugee and boxer

She added: “Through this lens, I hope you’ll feel the strength of the collective in the diverse selection of women chosen for the cover as well as the team of support I called upon within the issue to help bring this to light.

“I hope readers feel as inspired as I do, by the forces for change they’ll find within these pages.”

According to British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful, Meghan is the first guest to edit the September issue, which is considered the most important of the year as it details upcoming autumn and winter fashion.

But despite her influence over its content, he said the royal did not want to grace the cover herself because she felt it would be a “boastful” thing for her to do.

“To have the country’s most influential beacon of change guest edit British Vogue at this time has been an honour, a pleasure and a wonderful surprise,” he said.

“As you will see from her selections throughout this magazine, she is also willing to wade into more complex and nuanced areas, whether they concern female empowerment, mental health, race or privilege.

“From the very beginning, we talked about the cover – whether she would be on it or not. In the end, she felt that it would be in some ways a ‘boastful’ thing to do for this particular project.

“She wanted, instead, to focus on the women she admires.”

Meghan is not the first duchess to make an impact on British Vogue, with the Duchess of Cambridge having adorned its centenary issue in 2016.

The September edition goes on sale this coming Friday.

WATCH Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s answer to the question “Can men be feminists?