Culture Adoption in Wole Soyinka’s and Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Novels

The Wretched of the Earth is a fantastic book about the colonization in Algeria and Africa in general, the process of decolonization, and some of the psychological effects it has on its victims. This book has its good attributes and then it has some very interesting attributes that will be discussed in this paper, section by section. It was a very enjoyable book that made me think about colonization and decolonization in a very different light.

“Since culture does not just reflect the world in images, but actually, through those images, conditions a child to see that world a certain way, the colonial child was made to see the world and where he stands in it as seen and defined by or reflected in the culture of the language of imposition.” When reading “Decolonizing the Mind” was published by an African author named, Ngugi wa Thiog’o”. He takes an interesting approach on how he captures his audiences’ attention, he does this by showing the impact of simply changing ones language can have on a community as a whole. Ngugi uses various forms of Ethos, Pathos, as well as Logos; he does an amazing job of organizing the reading from the start to end.

“Maiwa’s Revenge” by H. Rider Haggard is a metaphorical tale of colonialism. Containing elements that may be interpreted to support or reject imperialist ideology, this piece can be analyzed to portray significant elements of post-colonial theory. Imperialist ideology may be seen as rejected through Alan Quatermain’s constant reference and apparent fascination with Zulu culture. However, his consistent reference to the natives as savage or unintelligent may be in adherence to imperialist ideology and colonial thought. Furthermore, an interesting symbol in “Maiwa’s Revenge” is the lion trap – an object can be interpreted to represent colonialism as an oppressive manifestation of nationalist thought, but also as a reference to the positive impacts

In Africa and Latin America, the development of nation-states had the need of breaking away from the Europeans, in order to gain independence. This was due to the reason that in the two areas the native people didn’t receive basic rights and were also forced to work, to benefit the Europeans instead of working to help themselves. Yet, in Latin America, they needed to overcome the social hierarchies, as the Europeans divided the nation into groups, with Europeans and creoles on the top and on the bottom would be the natives and slaves. On the other hand, Africa needed to overcome tribalism instead, since the Europeans made the tribes go against one another, in order for there to be a feud between the groups, which would allow for the Europeans

Stereotypes, harmful as they may be, exist for a reason. Just as every good lie has a kernel of truth, so does every stereotype. The danger in stereotypes is not in their truth, but in how they become the only portrayal of a group or faction of people. Binyavanga Wainaina’s essay “How to Write about Africa” addresses the singular portrayal of Africa as typically executed by Western authors. While “How to Write about Africa” is clearly intended as a scathing criticism of Western authors’ failure to portray Africa as anything other than one long set of stereotypes, several of Wainaina’s pointed jabs make appearances in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, such as the idea of the emotionally distant, abusive African warrior. Achebe includes stereotypes in his novel while simultaneously defying other Western conventions to demonstrate the complexity of his story, illustrating the point that, while stereotypes may appear, they are certainly not the only aspect of Africa.

If one didn’t know that Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart was written to show a positive view of pre-European Africa, they would not know it from reading the novel. This is not because the Africans are portrayed negatively, but rather because Achebe portrays neither side as morally superior. Both the Africans and the Europeans have good and evil characters and do good and evil things. Achebe does not make the Africans into saints, nor does he demonize the Europeans. Both sides get fair treatment.

Throughout this works is figurative language and 1900s Igbo proverbs literacy that introduces or justify a character's action by logical reasoning of the elders. The Igbo proverb helps us to fully grasp the African culture by isolating it from a former foreign colonized nation. Third world countries which were colonized by European nations debated whether to utilize their native literature or the literature of former colonizers, Igbo African nation being one of them. A few nations believed that carrying on their cultures to the next generation was vital and did not want to lose social nuance. This caused conflict amongst them because change did not give privileged over tradition based on the circumstances, instead it was resisted based on

Things Fall Apart is, above all, an account of the destructive effects of European colonialism in Africa told through the story of Okonkwo, a respectable leader of an Ibo tribe. Okonkwo is a proud and fearless warrior and respected throughout his region, but is eventually confronted with a force too powerful to overcome: imperial Britain. The clash between the values of the oppressor and those of the oppressed drove the tale to its climax and inevitably leads the reader to question the moral imperative of the colonizers. The will of the colonists to bring light and civilization to the savage peoples of the world is exposed as an ironic facade used to justify

In the essay Heroic Ethnocentrism, author Charles Larson depicts some typical aspects of African literature. Interestingly, Larson also depicts how these aspects can be misinterpreted by a Western reader, due to cultural differences, where he also questions if the term “universal” really is universal. Specifically, Larson notes that displays of affection in romance, especially kissing, is not seen in the African culture, and suicide is harshly frowned upon. This differs greatly from Western reservations regarding these respective topics, which differ from the African perspective towards these specific events.

The desire to conquer land that was previously unexplored has existed throughout history. This desire forced many indigenous societies, who were usually dominated technologically, to adapt to the teachings and overall system of the ‘superior’ conqueror nation with destruction as the only alternative. This causes a major impact on how a certain society functions, even after seeking independence from the foreigners. The rise and fall of indigenous societies can be analyzed through various media. Chinua Achebe is a novelist specializing in African literature, and this essay deals with the themes regarding colonialism in one of his many novels. In

This paper reflects the novel “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe in 1958. Achebe gives an overview of pre-colonialism and post-colonialism on Igbo, detailing how local traditions and cultural practices can “fall apart” in some scenarios through some introduced, externally created hassles elevated because of colonization. The protagonist named Okonkwo mentioned in the story is a proof showing the lifestyle of the tribe. My main objective and focus is to lay emphasis on Africa specifically the Igbo society, before and after the arrival of the Europeans in Umuofia community; the results of their arrival concerning Igbo culture, thus leading to the clash of cultures between the two categories. I will also draw on post-colonialism with respect to globalization.

What this article aims at discussing is consequence that the theft of the colonizers had physically and spiritually on post-colonial authors and literature. The most obvious effect is exile and loss of land, although other end results such as the destruction of cultural psyche, loss of language, the issue of nationalism, hybridism and suppression to name a few. I will, however, touch upon exile and loss of land, according to several poets from different areas of the world, as these are the most lingering issues that we see in the political status quo. How were exile and the loss of land projected into the consciousness of post-colonial authors and poets, some of who experienced one or both of these disparities?

Colonialism is one country’s control over another. It involves leaders who are in power and the masses who are powerless and oppressed. Many countries around the world have been colonized, exploited, and oppressed by European countries for various reasons, including the European powers’ need to civilize and assimilate societies that were different from their own. The topic of colonization is presented in scholarly work, books, art, and movies. Two movies that demonstrate European colonization are Tjoet Nja’ Dhien, an Indonesian film and Camp de Thiaroye, a Senegalese war film. Both these films depict the struggle between the colonizers and the oppressed. Themes portrayed in the movies are women’s roles, the Islamic faith, and modernity in Tjoet Nja’ Dhien and racial identity, inequality, and cultural oppression in Camp de Thiaroye. Two works of literature that support the themes in these movies are Child of All Nations and God’s Bits of Wood.

“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe and “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad both were written in the imperialist era. Chinua Achebe and Joseph Conrad both create the main characters, Okwonko and Marlow who come from different continents and end up settling in other continents. Both Okonkwo and Marlow question their identities when they reach these foreign lands due to the clash in culture between where they came from and their new homes. The development of new cultures with new ways of living affects the general view of both, Okonkwo and Marlow in the novels. This research, therefore, focuses on the clash between cultures in the books “Things Fall Apart” and in the “Heart of Darkness”.

In the novel The River Between, Ngugi wa Thiong’o expresses a strong moderate nationalist sentiment displayed in various ways. The subject of this novel, is a meaningful portrayal of how the theme of colonization is at the heart of most African literature written in English. The River Between was Ngugi’s first work to be published in his own language, Gikuyu and then translated into English. His radical shift from the use of the European languages to the use of an indigenous African language, Gikuyu, was a way of fighting imperialism: “I believe that my writing in Gikuyu language, a Kenyan language, an African language, is part and parcel of the anti-imperialist struggles of Kenyan and African peoples” . The novel addresses the early days of colonial intervention and richly illustrates the interference of the pre-colonial tranquil tribal life style at the hand European missionaries and colonizers . Apart from the novel’s primary language of publication we see Ngugi’s nationalist mindset through the Kikuyu people and their actions throughout the historical fiction. The issues of cultural and national identity are made obvious which tie into Ngugi’s perspective towards the Europeans. Furthermore, through the protagonist Waiyaki, we are further able to envision the aspiration to overcome colonialism through his very own desire to unite the two feuding ridges at the time, Mukuyu and Kameno.