My Name is Tani: The Amazing True Story of One Boyâ€™s Journey from Refugee to Chess Champion

The story that is inspiring everyone! Soon to be a Paramount motion picture.

Draw deep into the dramatic account of escape from terrorism.

Tani Adewumiâ€™s story begins amid Boko Haramâ€™s reign of terror in Nigeria, but this doesnâ€™t stop him from pursuing a most unlikely dream. At the age of eight, when Tani and his familyâ€™s lives are threatened, they are forced to flee for their lives and seek asylum. The odds were against Tani for ever finding a prosperous life in a foreign city, once enjoyed in his native Nigeria. But sometimes the unexpected is found in the most unlikely circumstances.

As Taniâ€™s family becomes a target for capture and killings, their miraculous escape takes them across an ocean to New York City. Taniâ€™s father, who comes from a royal family and has left behind thirteen employees in Nigeria, becomes a dishwasher and an Uber driver to support his family. Taniâ€™s mother, whose family helps to oversee the finances for a large Nigerian printing press, worked at a bank for more than eight years but is now training to become a home health aide.

After eighteen months, the family is still at a shelter, unbeknownst to Taniâ€™s classmates. One day Tani asks his parents if he can join the chess program. It seems unlikely since a fee is required. His mother writes to the coach, who offers Tani a scholarship. Tani jumps in to learn the game. The result is not only an unexpected twist of events in a chess competition but also the rescue of an entire family.

In My Name is Tani, we witness the crossfire between miracle and mayhem. A young boy with only a dream in his heart recounts his harrowing escape from Boko Haramâ€™s grips and changes his destiny in the process when he finds purpose in the most unlikely of places â€“ a chess championship.

In step with The Girl from Aleppo, and in the spirit of I am Malala, Taniâ€™s story sheds light on living through terror. This story of community and hope recounts the lengths parents will go through to find safety for their family. Itâ€™s a story of what happens one you dare to dream.

Tanitoluwa Adewumi

My Name is Tani