Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, published in 1958, and it is regarded as a contemporary African book. Things Fall Apart is published in English, which implies that the books have been commonly read and learned outside Africa as well as being a famous book in African colleges. Although only about 60 years later it was released, the book takes place in the 1890s. In relation to examining the traditional culture of the Nigerian farmers in the book, Things Fall Apart deals strongly with the impact of colonialism on the indigenous individuals of Africa.
The book describes the lives of Okonkwo, a Nigerian. In a community of nine towns, Okonkwo lives. The communities are governed by a council of elder. Okonkwo is one of the village’s renowned rulers. He’s also a champion of wrestling. His fighting position, as well as his management position, are motivated by his guilt over his dad, who left a bunch of debts unpaid before he died, and who Okonkwo saw as too feminine.
When a person from a nearby town kills one of the females from the town of Okonkwo, a peace arrangement takes the child of the person who murdered the girl to reside in the town of Okonkwo. The kid is taken in by Okonkwo himself and they create a powerful connection.
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Unfortunately, the child is being killed by a choice. One of the elders of the town, Ezeudu, advises Okonkwo not to help kill the kid. Determined not to appear, particularly because of the heritage of his father, Okonkwo kills the kid with a machete himself. The death of the boy is like a poor omen. Okonkwo inadvertently kills the son of Ezeudu after the kid collapses. The town determines for his felony that he must spend seven years in exile in order to appease the deities.
White missionaries arrive at the town during his exile. By the time Okonkwo finally comes back, his town was carefully infiltrated by the whites. So, with his machete, Okonkwo kills the courier to demonstrate to them how true men deal with their business. Even that didn’t go as planned, and Okonkwo locks himself, realizing that there’s no more room for him in the tribe. This is a very significant time in the book because committing suicide is an abomination according to Okonkwo’s traditional convictions. Achebe introduces in the book another section where he changes point-of-view.
The final chapter of the book came from the perspective of the local British governor who hears the story of Okonkwo and thinks it would make a good chapter in his book on Africa – or at least an interesting footnote.
Things Fall Apart is a book that contains a ton of ideas, but the question says to identify and evaluate the political, social and cultural elements of the pre-colonial and colonial Nigeria intermixed in the book.
Starting with the pre-colonial era and identifying the elements; some texts will probably start by defining colonialism before define the term pre-colonialism. Colonialism as defined by Atlas – “it is the practice of establishing territorial dominion over a clone by an outside political power characterized by exploitation, expansion, and maintenance of that territory”.
So, pre-colonialism is sometimes assumed to refer to “before colonialism”. From the book, Okonkwo, the main character of the book represents the pre-colonial era if the book. He represents the unity of his community from the book – because when he left the community was in shambles, the white missionaries took over.
But one big question is, what if Okonkwo was still in the community when the British came to Umuofia (Okonkwo’s village), what would he have done.? And he also represents the culture, norms, traditions, and supremacy of the males. In the book, the writer explores the use and abuse of power by those who wield it – Okonkwo’s power over his household where he abused his power by beating his wife in the “week of peace”.
In my opinion, it is objectively bad for a man to beat a woman talk more his wife – his partner. Another abuse of power, in the book, it was when he killed Ezeudu’s son, killing another human one can’t make is not to be done – you don’t kill anybody you can’t make even if what the person has done is not objectively good. But the justice system of that crime was just and he was punished for his crime.
The Umuofian clan has a number of traditions that were passed down orally from generation to generation in the book. The Umuofians are aware; however, of the traditions of some of the other clans of Igbo people. Ironically, the Umuofian’s willingness to live peaceably with others who don’t share their traditions brings about the ultimate demise of their culture. The following are the identified cultural elements in the book, rules for hosts and guests and weddings & burials.
Starting with the marriage and burial, the family of the groom is liable for providing the palm wine to celebrate the nuptials at the URI, the ceremony that takes place the day before, the wine was seen as a sign of regard. This is taken as a sign of great respect for the bride when the family of the groom brings many pots of wine.
When Umuofian women die, they are not buried with their husband’s family. Instead, the women are returned to their own kinsmen to be buried. People who die of diseases like smallpox or leprosy are buried in the avoid touching the body of someone who commits suicide because, as described in the book, “it is an offense against the earth, and a man who commits it will not be buried by clansmen. His body is evil, and only strangers may touch it.”
For hosts and visitors, there are some traditions. We see a custom of etiquette when a neighbor goes to visit that includes smashing a kola nut which represents the respect of the deities and ancestors. Unoka was the first individual to be placed in the host’s position in the book. “Unoka immediately rose and shook hands with okay, who then unrolled the goatskin which he carried under his arm, and sat down.
Unoka went into an inner room and soon returned with a small wooden disc containing a kola nut, some alligator pepper and a lump of white chalk.” The host moves the kola to his guest, who returns it to the host, insisting that breaking the kola seed is the location of the host. The ritual exchange goes on until the host finally recognizes the privilege of removing the seed and serving it to the guest. “As he broke the kola, Unoka prayed to their ancestors for life and health, and for protection against their enemies.”
Fast forward into the book’s colonial era, the missionaries gained a foothold in Umofia, and it wasn’t long before they turned most of the people into Christianity. This outcome in the Igbo tribe’s customs and practices being tossed away, causing excellent trouble to Okonkwo. In essence, the missionaries force the group to turn to Christianity by showing them that their convictions were based on falsehoods. While Okonkwo is in exile, the white people tell him that the neighboring Abame has been annihilated. A white guy came on a bike to the town.
People were scared, and the Oracle was advised by the elders. They were told they would be destroyed by the white man and that more destruction would come their way. The white guy was murdered and the bike was put on their sacred tree. The missionaries strip the Igbos of their customs, rituals, and convictions. Although it is true that the goal of the missionaries was to bring religion to the clan, they also tried to bring what they saw as civilization. They helped remove inhumane methods such as sacrifices and abuse ritualized. It introduced an increase in the framework of the economy, but more importantly, it also introduced the chance for more understanding.
Ultimately, the white perspective finally took over the worldview and social outlook of Igbo. In some respects, this could be seen as a nice thing, particularly when it comes to subjects that in the ancient culture have been seen as taboos. Children born as mothers or those with illnesses were sent to suicide in the wicked woods (evil forest) before the whites arrived in the town. After instilling the Christian behaviors, the procedures of Igbo altered and the kids were rescued.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, offered an opportunity to experience the impact of colonialism on a native group. They were kind, loving, and peaceful when the white missionaries first went to the town. We quickly understand, however, that their aim is to demolish the tribe’s cultural values and customs and substitute them with the new world’s methods. Okonkwo has been ravaged by their plans and is doing everything possible to prevent them from taking over. Ultimately, we understand, like Okonkwo, it’s a losing fight. Thus things fall apart.
References
- Danny-Dillinger, d. (2019). Describe pre-colonial Nigeria and the Igbo way of life in Things Fall Apart. [online] enotes. Available at: https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/describe-pre-colonial-nigeria-igbo-way-life-things-624037 [Accessed 20 May 2019].
- ACHEBE, C. (2018). THINGS FALL APART. S.l.: PENGUIN BOOKS.
- (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://study.com/academy/lesson/colonialism-in-things-fall-apart.html
- (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2019, from https://study.com/academy/lesson/traditions-in-things-fall-apart.html
