To
this work of art, I owe all my gratitude. This book taught me to dream through
different lenses. Before I encountered this astounding piece of literature- and
I will detail why I deem it astounding later in this post - I loved literature,
I was sold, but little did I know that there was a lot more to discover.
Before Things
Fall Apart, my world of literature was adorned by the works of JK Rowling,
Roald Dahl and of course William Shakespeare to name a few. I actually believed
that I was a lady Shakespeare in the making, with plans and dreams set out to
go and study English Literature in England and walk amongst the castles and
through the fields of Scotland where I would be eternally mused and become a
world renown writer.
I
still dream, I still hope, but most importantly I still love literature. but
through this blog I wish to lend or recommend these new found lenses to some
avid reader in the world, introduce and expose them to this spectacular realm
of literature. Let me, before I mislead anyone, elaborate on what I mean and
refer to when I say African Literature:
I
would describe African Literature as the body of art works written by Africans
living in Africa as well as those in Diaspora. This literature speaks to the
social, economic and cultural attributes of African society and culture.
Literature in this instance is not only limited to the novels that fall within
this genre but also the plays, movies, comics and songs encompassed within this
realm.
I
first read Things Fall Apart in Grade 10 and it was part of
the prescribed reading for the grade 10 syllabus that year. In all my prior years of schooling, I do not recall being exposed to literature written by African
writers about African Culture and society. So I was delighted to pick it up and
start reading. It was clear when I picked up the book that it had been lurking
around me in many ways. The poem by W.B Yeats, The
Second Coming sounded all too familiar and so did the title of the book and the poem. As soon as I picked up the book a gush of
nostalgia rushed through me. My dad had a copy of the book at home and held it
most sacredly. I recalled having once seen a worn out copy on the side table of
his headboard, with clear signs of having been read over and over again. I also
recalled hearing him say the words; "Things fall apart, the centre cannot
hold, Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world". Little did I know that at
that point, when I picked up Things fall Apart to read it, mere
anarchy was indeed loosed upon my world. I had found an alternative story, one
I could read, love and live.
I
must admit, I did not do too much to find or discover more books in this
series, but every chance I got, which was mostly through the prescribed
readings and old treasures I came to realise my dad and my brother kept, I
started to grow more in my knowledge and awakening to literatures of Africa. I
continue to read my Shakespeare and Mark Twain and I will not stop, but at the
moment my focus is on catching up on African Literatures and sharing my most
favourite reads, starting with this one.
Things
fall apart was first published in 1958 two years before Nigeria gained independence
from colonial rule. It tells a story of a community that undergoes changes
brought upon them by both internal and external factors. Achebe through this
novel was writing back and rewriting the story of Nigerian culture. The story
starts with a celebration of culture in Okonkwo’s community. At this
celebration young men from the nine villages take part in a
wrestling match. this is where Okonkwo’s reign of glory begins as he defeats
Amalinze "the cat" a fierce fighter who had been the undefeated champion for seven
years. Okonkwo comes to portray and embody all the glory of Igbo culture and
became a stealth custodian of its traditions. As he grows in prosperity and
wisdom he becomes an elder and advisor in his village. And when his
culture is threatened by the advent of colonial rule he tries to defend it, and
his loyalty to it and his rigid nature ends up being his Achilles heel.
Achebe
uses different characters to pose a story of how “things” in Umuofia come to “fall
apart”. Okonkwo represents the unrelenting influence and wrath of culture. Pastor
Smith is the embodiment of colonial rule also in his unrelenting regard for
following rules. Ikemefuna is on many levels like a sacrificial lamb and Nwoye
represents the outcomes of having cracks in the cultural system.
I
particularly fell in love with the character of Ikemefuna. Ikemefuna came into
Okonkwo’s life and gave him a shot at redemption. Redemption from the fear that
had crippled him perpetually, hindering him from showing love and warmth freely. “Perhaps
down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated
by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate
than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest
and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw." Ikemefuna
brought a lot of Joy into Okonkwo’s life and showed a softer side of Okonkwo
that had always seemed to vanish beneath his wrath.
Achebe
wrote a story that was relatable to me as an African child. I grew a desire to
know more about African societies and to travel the African continent and
experience this harmattan that he writes about. Eat kola nuts and taste palm
wine while sitting under palm trees. This book allowed me to travel to Nigeria
and imagine what it would be like to sleep in an obi. I also liked that I could
draw similarities in the use of language and proverbs in Ibo culture to the
use of the same in Setswana culture amongst many other things.
Chinua
Achebe has created a world of travel and esacape for me. He paints vivid
pictures with his writing and you cannot help but get lost in his work only to
find pieces of you, that you never knew were missing, inside.
It
might be late but Thank You
Mr Chinua Achebe 16 November 1930 to 21 March
2013
No comments:
Post a Comment