Post-colonial Africa is still trying to recover, by trying to adapt a mindset of what it truly means to be an African. Achebe explores these issues through his own African roots and portrays what he believes is the true essence of African culture. One major theme of the novel is language. Language is the most effective and prominently used tool for communicating to other people. It is clear that speech is used in a different form depending on who is addressed.
Oral Tradition & Sundiata African oral tradition is rich with history, virtues, and civic influence. Within the umbrella term of “oral tradition”, there exist songs, folktales, myths, praise poetry, and legend. Each have their own unique purpose and can be seen in most societies. Oral tradition is knowledge passed down through the spoken word. Oral tradition is complex, highly stylized, and carries a political and social value.
Definition: Pan-Africanism is an ideology and movement that encourages the solidarity of Africans worldwide. It is based on the belief that unity is vital to economic, social, and political progress and aims to “unify and uplift” people of African descent. The ideology asserts that the fates of all African peoples and countries are intertwined. At its core Pan-Africanism is “a belief that African peoples, both on the continent and in the Diaspora, share not merely a common history, but a common destiny” The largest Pan-African organization is the African Union. Principles and Focus Pan-Africanism stresses the need for “collective self-reliance”.
More specifically, this investigation will discuss how these cultural traits are revealed in the interactions between the novel's main protagonist, Okonkwo, and his alter ego, Obierika. Achebe uses the dissimilarity between Okonkwo and Obierika to give the reader a more complete picture of Igbo-African society. Of the two, Okonkwo represents the main character, and Obierika is his foil. By doing so, he gives the reader insight on the Igbo concept of masculinity. Okonkwo is absolutely dedicated to the tribe's concept of manliness and when he was asked to aid in Ikemefuna's murder, he killed the boy himself because he did not want to appear “weak”.
The story revolves around the days of 1890, Nigeria. Alongwith his main motive of presenting a true account of African culture which has long been misrepresented by the colonial powers; Achebe also articulates the detailed narration of Igbo culture. He elongately illustrates their tradition; role of elders, picture of women or 'Agbala' and men with respect to the authority both of them enjoys, custom of marriage, the gods or priestesses, and whole lot of their ethics and rituals. Approaching towards the treatment of women in the Igbo society one can easily configure that the individuality of a woman is entirely missing. They are the mere puppets in hands of the men, who delivers the role set by the males of the society for them.
The selected passage is from Chinua Achebe’s award winning novel: “Things Fall Apart”. Published in 1958, two years before the independence of Nigeria. With a strong purpose to present a dynamic and complex society to the Western audience who perceived the African society and cultures as primitive or undeveloped. Achebe uses intimate relations between the reader and the characters to really insert the reader into the Igbo culture and portray it’s beauties and also its downsides before and after the arrival of Christian missionaries, strong imagery is used to deliver a strong and exhilarating message to the audience from other continents that have been reading misinterpreted novel by writers such as Joseph Conrad or Joyce Cary, whom are both from the Western world and have first hand experience with African culture, Achebe felt that he needed to express a different point of view and not just another interpretation. Firstly, to sum up this detail and deceit filled extract, we can contemplate that it shows the beginning of the “journey” towards the inhumane slaughter, or so said “sacrifice” of Ikemefuna, a fifteen-year-old boy from the Mbaino clan who is thrown at Umuofia as a sacrifice for the killing of one Umuofian woman, after three years and close interaction with Okonkwo’s family, the elders order Ikemefuna to be killed.
Things Fall Apart Major Essay In his novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe attempts to answer many questions, such as “Is fate real?” Achebe provides readers with a few options to this question, some of which are logical, and others that are superstitions adapted by the Igbo culture of Africa. Achebe clearly states the idea of an individual’s chi, yet characters have their own beliefs about that superstition. For example, Okonkwo, the main character of the novel, and other members of his clan believe in different specific details and proverbs about chi. Chi helped shape Okonkwo’s destiny. Okonkwo ends up fighting against his chi, and he eventually lost.
To him, art and society are indivisible, which is the African tradition. Unlike writers in European communities, the African artist is accountable to the community. Achebe is further influenced by the fact that African writers believe it is their mission to change their society through education. 37 Chapter 2: Things Fall Apart and Colonialism 1. Okonkwo’s Actions Foreshadow Colonialism’s Impact on Traditional Values Christopher Heywood 47 Even before the colonial rule directly impacts Okonkwo’s world, he betrays African and Igbo tradition in beliefs such as the hatred of his father’s way of life.
The term African Design can be interpreted by different people according to personal feelings and emotions. Designers would refer to the aesthetics of a design whereas illustrators or fashion experts may argue that the traditional African patterns and shapes is what gives it an African feel (Fourie, 2012). Either way one looks at it, African Design boils down to how the various African cultures are represented through each product. By analyzing traditional rituals and art pieces as well as comparing them to contemporary South African designs, this paper will assess the role of vivid history and traditions on contemporary designs. We will also touch on the subject of how traditional African art and artifacts can easily loose their uniqueness when taken out of context.
Another important part of African Traditional Religion is names, because names are used to express the concepts of Supreme Being. The rest of important oral elements in African Religion include prayers, legends, and folktales. The important elements of African Religion that aren’t oral include artistic impressions, artifacts, concrete manifestations, symbolic art, forms in shrines, sacred institutions, and archeological findings. African religion faces very many challenges today, including geographical impediments, generalization, colonial indoctrination, language barriers, and the effect of Western civilization. The future of African Traditional Religion is bright because it is receiving increased attraction in studies and