Advantages And Disadvantages Of Colonialism In Umuofia

The novel explores one of the major traits of tradition/modernity dichotomy which is rural and urban establishments; rural life as a traditional pre-existing African constitution and urban life as a modern insertion of colonialism. It is acknowledged that in Africa before colonialism people used to adhere to the rural lifestyle; an organization generally distinguished by villages and small hamlets sparsely populated where people live by means of mainly farming, livestock, hunting, gathering and fishing. As a result of colonial imports; the introduction of urbanization to Africa began to cognize response at the start of independence movements 1957. Africa little by little bore witness to a rapid growth of cities and towns, people were shifting their interest to trade and commerce, and soon started to overflow the city. Achebe for the concern traces the new phenomenon (urbanization) noticeable mainly in Lagos; which today occurs to be Nigeria’s and Africa’s largest city accounting for 21 million inhabitants and representing 60% of industrial and commercial ventures of the country (“15 Biggest Cities In Africa”, James Karuga, 2016).

The writer puts into perspective the decadence that germinated in the wake of modernity, and the piety that exists in tradition. Achebe, taking into consideration both advantages and disadvantages of traditional and modern institutions, reflects an ambivalent attitude of contempt and admiration towards both. The novel tries to achieve African ‘modernity’ by an impetus of social and moral ethos of traditional society, as well as, an input of political and economic strategies of modern society. Thus, analyzing the mechanisms that drove the struggle between rural and urban establishments in the novel is necessary on economic, social structures, and moral