Communiqué 68: Chude Jideonwo left it all behind. Now, he’s building something deeper

In 2017, Chude Jideonwo left a media company he had built, battling severe depression despite public acclaim. Years later, he is building another one to help people like him.

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1. Full circle with Chimamanda

“I’m not one of those people who will come and start crying on your show,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie said with a laugh to Chude Jideonwo on Sunday night in front of a captive audience at The Palms, Lekki. She was explaining why it had taken her so long to be interviewed on his show, alluding to Jideonwo’s reputation for getting his guests to open up with uncommon vulnerability.

Adichie was the headliner for Jideonwo’s latest venture — a live edition of his #WithChude talk show, billed as Africa’s first “talk concert.” Part live talk show, part book reading, part concert, the evening featured conversations with some of Nigeria’s biggest cultural figures, including actress Funke Akindele, comedian Bovi, and preacher Jerry Eze. It also previewed an excerpt from Jideonwo’s forthcoming book, “How depression saved my life,” set for release later this year.

The show saw guests share deeply personal stories in front of an audience that ranged from Nigeria’s minister of culture to university students: comedian Bovi spoke candidly about his son’s challenges with learning, and Afrobeats artiste Teni revealed why it had taken five years to release her now trending single, Money.

The event was also the beginning of a new chapter for Joy Incredible (Joy Inc.), a media company Jideonwo founded to spread the message of happiness and emotional well-being through storytelling. Over the last eight years, Joy Inc. has launched several products, including the Joy Masterclasses, Joy Retreats, and the #WithChude talk show, on the back of which a thriving subscription business has been built. Now, it is adding live experiences to its growing portfolio of media offerings.

In 2005, when Chude Jideonwo first interviewed Chimamanda Adichie, he was a young journalist profiling the emerging writer for a cover story in ThisDay newspaper. At the time, Adichie had just burst onto Nigeria’s literary scene with her debut novel, Purple Hibiscus. Two decades later, Jideonwo built one of Africa's most successful public relations companies, and Adichie had become Africa’s most celebrated novelist. Now it was time for another conversation, but this time in front of an audience of over 5,000.