1. Things Fall Apart
Chinua Achebe

2. Chinua Achebe brief biography
Born 1930 in a Christian family in Ogidi in Eastern Nigeria
By 1995 over 8 million copies of Things Fall Apart were sold
Died in May 2013

3. Igbo Society Social & Political Structures
Lack of centralized political structures
Lived in autonomous villages & towns, ruled by their elders
Democracy was obtained through a council of elders, age groups, councils of chiefs, women’s associations, and secret societies

4. Igbo Society Marriage Customs
Marriages were discussed in depth as they brought families & entire villages together
Most husbands practiced polygamy
Igbo women lived in separate houses, cooked for themselves, and raised their own children
Unhappy women could leave a marriage

5. Igbo Society Igbo Religion (polytheistic)
Chukwu (the supreme being) is everywhere at the same time--therefore there are no shrines or altars for worship
Ekwensu=trickster god who caused problems
The ikenga = a wooden carving that symbolizes a man’s strength & success
Chi = a person’s personal god…follows you throughout life and can be either malevolent or benevolent…but chi does not control destiny

6. Things Fall Apart brief background
Story is set between 1860 & written when Nigeria was finally ending colonial rule
Central theme=what happens to the values that define Okonkwo’s cultural community & define his sense of moral order when everything collapses in the face of European colonialism?
Colonial rule destabilizes traditional values & institutions
There is a crisis of authority & power, which leads to a crisis of culture