The tendency to uphold colonial powers as part of God’s plan has been evident in the missionary agenda. As a matter of fact, it is hard to differentiate the two. This has led to the condemnation of local religion and religious systems in preference for the Christian foreign religion. Ngugi wa Thiongo referred to the missionaries as the “colonial spiritual police” while amplifying on the great connection between colonial imperialism and the missionary enterprise. However, as much as one should not be blind to the mistakes done in the early days of the spread of Christianity in Africa, we must come to terms with both historical facts and other instances that show that Christianity is indeed an African religion.
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.
Each myth has its own purpose whether it’s a moral, tradition, or a story of creation. But, of all these different themes and archetypes in African myths the most common stories contain Personification, Heroes, and Creation. To start, one of the most commonly used themes in African Myths is personification. Firstly, in the Myth “Why the Sun and the Moon Live in the Sky”, personification is used when the narrator says, “Many years ago the sun and the water were great friends, and both lived on earth together.” Personification is the when you give none human objects human characteristic or abilities, so in this Myth the author gave the water and the sun the ability to be friends. Secondly, in the myth “Why there are Cracks in Tortoise’s Shell”, personification is used when Mr. Tortoise answered, “No, I shan’t sprout any wings because I was not born that way.” This quote shows the use of personification because the narrator gave Mr. Tortoise the ability to talk.
Masks Of Africa Since the earliest times masks have played an important role in the culture of Africa. Masks have varied in appearance and function. Many masks are associated with religious ceremonies, myth, dance, rituals or are concerned with spirits of the dead, rites, or even curing sickness. The mask has been used by the Africans mainly to solve major human and social problems. When a man wears a mask his identity is hidden and the expression on the mask projects a new identity.
All the Gods own the almighty power over human beings and other creatures on earth. For example, in Biblical myths, the Gods own powers to create human as well as to destroy them with flood. Same pattern can be detected in the Ovid’s creation and flood stories which stand for the Roman version: the almighty god created human and also almost eliminated them with a flood. Secondly, the desire trying to explain the existence of human beings and the whole world also is a common factor reflected in many creation myths. Human beings were curious about how the world is like and why the whole world is created and operated.
(Okoro) For Madu, destiny is the philosophy and belief of the traditional stage that every life is unique in a significant way and is subject to a series of unforeseen hazards and unexpected rewards, which are all made from the chi. (Okoro) According to the Igbo culture, no two people have the same chi. Each individual is inimitable and irreplaceable. Chi is regarded as the Igbo principal of individualism. Achebe speaks of chi often in Things Fall Apart and makes it clear that all clan members of the Umuofia tribe believed in chi in some way.
One of the most well-known biblical stories, Adam and Eve had profound impact on the way Medieval Christians explained the origins of humankind and nature, and how it shaped their moral values. Thus, the creation story of Adam and Eve is a myth, because Medieval Christians believed the text as “word of God”, explaining and depicting the inception of life, nature, and morals (Morris 23). In the Medieval Christian society, biblical myths are considered to be factually true and the morals and instructions of the myths are followed meticulously. Humans have always been curious about their environments and existence, and myths explain certain phenomena of life and nature. Myths are not simply stories told to entertain; they are understandings of reality taught to educate people about the world they live in.
How the Contrast Between Obierika and Okonkwo Reveals Facts About Igbo Culture After the invasion of the Christian missionaries in Nigeria, the local tribes found that their history was re-written. Today, there are very few reliable accounts of events from before the “pacification” of those tribes. However, in writing Things Fall Apart, the author Chinua Achebe gives Western readers an uncorrupted view of a Nigerian tribe. This investigation will examine the place of morality, tradition, and religious belief in the Igbo society as presented by Achebe. 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.
Numerous theories were proposed by scientists or religions to explain the beginning of the universe. They were questioned by people believed for their integrity. The big bang theory was challenged by many too, but it has become the model that the scientific community has widely accepted to explain the birth of the universe as it is backed up by many evidences. According to the theory, there is a finite age to the universe. At the very start, the entire universe was about a size of an atom.
The outcome of the Igbo cultural system was dependent on how they welcomed these changes that swept across the African content, Nigeria included. The reaction of a culture was dependent on the value system that they upheld. Pre-colonial Umuofia The Igbo was a cultural society that was characterized by male dominance during the pre-colonial era as evidenced by the fact that the story revolves around male characters. As the plot of the story unravels, it is very difficult to find a female character associated with prominence. More often than not when female characters are mentioned, they are either sexual partners, priests, cooks, or a nanny for the children.