Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe 1958
Characteristics of Ibo (Igbo) 3 rd Most populous ethnic group in Nigeria Lived in villages based on male lineage All male heads of household were related on father’s side Villages shared a market and meeting place Also believed in similar ancestral spirits Villages arranged in clans of approx. 5,000 people
More characteristics Staple crops: yams, cassava, taro, corn, pumpkins, beans High value placed on individual achievements and eloquent speech Palm trees for oil
Common Terms Diala: free adult males osu: religious outcasts; priests to the gods Ibo treated osu with contempt ohu: slaves captured in war Chukwu: common god of all Chi: each person’s protective ancestral spirit; each person, clan, and village had one
The author Achebe is a social novelist who believed in the social potency of literature Ibo childhood but university educated Taught at several universities in Nigeria, Massachusetts, and Connecticut Paralyzed from auto accident
Significance of TFA Shows rich, positive view of African culture Gives Africans a vision of their past Different from typical African novel told from European point of view Precursor to pluralism Affirmation and acceptance of diversity Title implies cultural breakdown is not limited to Ibo society; it is universal To refuse to accept change is to be destroyed by it
Nigerian Politics 1914 Nigeria is created as a political entity 1861: Official British control 1866: Nigeria becomes separate British colony British traded in palm oil; missionaries converted Colonialism was ending when TFA was published Nigeria gained independence in 1960