Things Fall Apart Colonialism

If Things Fall Apart had been written is a different time, how and why might it differ? Chinua Achebe, the author of the post-colonial novel Things Fall Apart, founded a Nigerian literary movement which wrote about the traditional oral culture of its indigenous peoples in the 1950’s. Achebe sought to convey understanding of this culture in response to novels, such as Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, which portray native Africans as primitive, socially backward and language-less. In his novel, Achebe shatters the stereotypical European litera-ture in which Africans are described as primitive and mindless savages. "The writer cannot be excused from the task of re-education and regeneration that must be done. I for one would not wish to be

This time was also known as the Nigerian Renaissance, a period containing a large number of very strong Nigerian writers who introduced a powerful new literature. Additionally, although a few countries had al-ready achieved independence, most of Africa was still ruled by colonialism. Nigeria became independent just 2 years after the book was published, at that time colonialism and inde-pendence were subjects of debate. Set in a time of great change for Africans, Achebe's nov-els illuminate two painful features of modern African life: the humiliations visited on Africans by colonialism, and the corruption and inefficiency of what replaced colonial rule. Things Fall Apart focuses on the early experience of colonialism as it occurred in Nigeria, around 1890, from the first days of contact with the British to widespread British administration. Towards the end of the nineteenth century most European states migrated to Africa and other parts of the world where they established colonies. Nigeria and other African nations received visitors who were on a colonising mission; they introduced their culture and religion that is and later imposed these on the Igbo. The culture of the people of Umuofia is immensely threatened by this