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But now one of African literature's guiding lights - as Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie once called him - is gone, leaving the world of words a little darker.

Black talent is also being celebrated with the event's host committee, which includes athlete Simone Biles, film director Spike Lee, actress Ayo Edebiri, pop stars Doechii, Usher, Tyla, Janelle Monáe and André 3000, author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and playwright Jeremy O Harris.

Adichie is now releasing her first novel in more than a decade, Dream Count.

Adichie is known for work that explores themes including feminism, gender and immigration.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says the writer's block she experienced after becoming pregnant with her first child was "terrifying".