Assignment: The African Literature

 Things Fall Apart: An attempt to Re-establish an Image of Africa against the Distorted Image of Africa in Western Discourse

Abstract

 “By portraying the cultural life of the Igbo...Achebe was able to counter Western images of Africa” 

(Joseph McLaren, 2012, p. 24)

Chinua Achebe is much more influenced by Western Writers like Joseph Conrad and Joyce Cary and their representation of Africa in their respected works which are Heart of Darkness and Mister Johnson. As a child he was born and brought up during Colonial Rule of Britishers in Africa and also got his entire education in Missionary School. But as he matured his deeper thoughts started witnessing Biased European Colonial Portrayal of Africa which worsened the 'Image of Africa' and representing Africa as a dark continent, where people are barbaric and savage, a place which has No History, No Culture and No Civilization at all. Chinua Achebe in his essay "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" firmly remarks that Western Discourse has created a stereotypical image of Africa which they wanted to show to the world in order to overcome their own guilt that they have exploited Africa. And deforming Africa as uncivilized fulfill their psychological need or desire that they are superior and civilized than Africans. And to correct this whole History of misrepresentation of Africa Chinua Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart from an insider's point of view. In this article we will look upon how 'Things Fall Apart' gives exposition to the African Culture and celebrates the Indigenous ancestral heritage of Africa. Our major concern will be how this exposition to African Culture will help to re-establish or regenerate authentic and valid 'Image of Africa' which was distorted during Colonial Imperialism in Africa.

Key Words: Re-establish, Colonialism, Western Discourse, Image of Africa, Misrepresentation

Introduction

“If you don’t like someone’s 

story, write your own”

(Paris Review 1994)

Above statement by Chinua Achebe said in one of his interviews with Paris Review in 1994, significantly proved by himself by writing 'Things Fall Apart' a foundational text which led the foundation for the African Literature to be recognised globally. This text put authentic Africa on the Literary map of the World. 

By reading the work of Western Writers like Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Chinua Achebe realised how Africa is misrepresented and ill-treated in Western Writings by European Writers. This gives him an eye opening realisation of 'the Dangers of not having their own story.' And then Achebe dedicates his writings to write down his own story of pertaining to Authentic African Culture in order to  re-establish and revitalize the 'Very Image of Africa' which is distorted under Colonial Masters by projecting Africa as Dark Continent, Uncivilized place where people are Savages, Barbarians and Cannibals.

European Powers have Scrambled for Africa, meaning most of European Powers wanted to encroach the land of Africa and establish their own power over indigenous peoples. Africa was divided into European Nations after the Berlin Conference in 1884. So, During 1870s 10% of Africa was invaded by European Countries but by 1914 90% part of Africa was coming under control of European Powers and from there began a New Imperialism. And dissemination and Creation of 'Image of Africa' trace back its deep roots during Colonial Imperialism. The perspective which is created by Orient to look upon Occident is far far detached from reality. So, The necessity of articulating our own story arises from the misrepresentation done during the Colonial period. Here are some of the objectives of writing this article…

• To analyse Achebe's major aim behind writing 'Things Fall Apart' from an insider's point of view.
• How Achebe best selling and Award Winning book Things Fall Apart helps to reestablish or reconstruct the very distorted image of Africa created during the Colonial period.

Literature Review

Because 'Things Fall Apart' by Achebe is an Award Winning text, has also got worldwide exclamation; there are many research articles written on this text dealing with Various topics. Here as per our concern we were to look at some of the articles which revolve around the Representation of Africa in Things Fall Apart and how this text counter-arguing against previous representation of Africa in Western Literature.

Md. Mahbubul Alam in his article "Reading Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart from the Postcolonial Perspective" read the text 'Things Fall Apart' from Post-colonial point of view and elaborate how Chinua Achebe’s novel became an landmark example which shatters the stereotypical European portraits about the native Africans, by depicting the real values and life culture of Igbo Community. This article says that by demonstrating two opposite time periods through which Igboland has passed, which are Pre-colonial and Colonial Igboland, Achebe is making a deliberate attempt to bring forth the true value, tradition and culture of Igboland. Here the writer Alam concludes that...

His (Chinua Achene) strategy of differentiation between the pre-colonial and the colonial well suits his purpose of writing back by rewriting the history of the lost traditions and culture of the Igbo.

(Md. Mahbubul Alam)

Dr. Mrs Onyekachi Awa in her article which is titled as 'African Culture in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart: a Stylistic Inquiry', says  "African writers control the colonial tongue by altering the linguistic features of such languages. Specifically, Achebe manipulates the English Language in his Things Fall Apart to present the Igbo culture as splendid but not without the cultural storms, which should be purged in order to embrace modernity. So, Achebe’s Igbo society knows that change and progress are needful and indispensable." So, This article studies the use of Africannized Language by Achebe in order to project their own authentic culture to the world. 

Abir S. Aboutaha examines Representations of Others in two selected novels which are written by Joseph Conrad and Chinua Achebe in her essay 'Representation of the “Other”: A Comparative Study between Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.' Another essay 'Challenging the Colonial Stereotypes or Conforming to Them: Investigating Achebe’s Intent in Things Fall Apart' which was jointly written by A B M Shafiqul Islam and Israt Jahan Shuchi studies at what extent Chinua Achebe becomes successful to vanish the Stereotypical misrepresentation of Africa which goes back to the Colonial period.

Things Fall Apart as Postcolonial Text

Achebe's novel 'Things Fall Apart' is a great example of Post-colonial Writing which resembles closely with the theory of Post-colonial Writing described by Bill Ashcroft in his leading work titled 'The Empire Writes Back.' Achebe is in the truer sense Writing Back to empire by challenging the distortion done by Western Writings to the identity and culture of Africa. 

Christopher O'Reilly in his book 'Post-colonial Literature'(2001) mentions three dimensions which should be kept at center when we are dealing with any Postcolonial Text…

• The use of Indigenous cultural traditions
• The Appropriation of English Language
• The impact of colonialism and Aftermath

These three principles of Post-colonial Literature are efficiently covered by Chinua Achebe in his novel 'Things Fall Apart.' The novel revolves around Igboland and highlights culture, tradition, rituals or values of Indigenous people which are valid and more authentic. The novel can be divided into three parts, Part 1 is all about the Pre-colonial time of Africa where people have their own Identity or Ideology on which they live their lives. This part is full with the description of African Culture, Values and their philosophies. Part is about the Exile of Okonkwo and the entry of Missionaries into Igboland. And in part 3 Okonkwo came back from his exile and noticed several changes in society.

"The clan had undergone such profound change during his exile that it was barely recognizable. The new religion and government and the trading stores were very much in the   people's eyes and minds."

(From Things Fall Apart pg. 182)

The change in the clan of Umuofia demonstrates the cultural, psychological, political and religious impacts of colonialism on Igboland. To bring forth these issues in front of the world he uses English Language as a medium of communication. Chinua Achebe feels that using English Language will help to reach readers of the world. But one thing which is interesting to note down here is that Achebe employs New Africannized English Language which suits to African Surrounding.

Myths Created within Colonial Discourse to Represent Africa

Dorothy Hammond and Alta Jablow have studied the representation of Africa by covering the fiction and non-fiction which were written during the span of 400 years. They find that from the 16th century involvement of British with Africa has increased from where the inaccurate depiction of Africa started in Western Literature. Two books were written by these writers which are titled as…

• The Myth of Africa (1977)
• The Africa that Never Was (1970)

To sum these books we can trace out two major myths which are Created, manufactured, Fabricated, Constructed, Developed and Sustained in Western Discourse during Colonial Imperialism to establish their own supremacy over colonized as more Civilized and Sophisticated people. 

• Racial Image of Africa
• Spatial Image of Africa

Racial Image of Africa

Racial Image of Africa is pertaining to How African People are looked upon in Western Literature over the period of Time. Here we find a dichotomy of representing African as a character in Literature.

• Beastly Savage
• Noble Savage

The common factor in these two kinds of representation is the word 'Savage.' So, It is confirmed that Africans are always projected as Savage or uncivilized in Western Discourse. And Achebe through his work Things Fall Apart makes an overtly statement that Africans are neither Beastly Savage nor Noble Savage, they are Human Beings first as all other people. Frantz Fanon (2001), offers the same statement that 

“For colonialism, this vast continent [Africa] was the haunt of savages, a country riddled with superstitions and fanaticism, destined for contempt, weighed down by the curse of God, a country of cannibals- in short, the negro country” 

(Frantz Fanon 'The Wretched of the Earth' p. 170)

In this respect, Things Fall Apart becomes a text which is written from occidental point of view where authentic depiction of Igbo people reclaiming their identity as Human beings.

Spatial Image of Africa

Another myth which is constructed by European Countries is related to disgrace Africa as a place. And here also we see two contrary representations of Africa as a place in Western Discourse.

• Africa as White Man's Grave
• Africa as White Man's Paradise

Again here Africa is represented as closely associated with White Man only. The native people are clearly neglected. And the existence of Africa as an individual entity seems to be deleted by Colonial Masters. For them Africa is an object instead of Subject. And they see Africa as a place of Disease, Death, Danger and Dysentery where the people lose their sanity or may die as well. For example Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad where Africa was projected as a place of full darkness. Contrary to that, sometimes Africa is also represented as Hunter's paradise, a place where great natural beauty lies, a place with exotic flora and fauna. So, This how Africa is either represented as White Man's Grave or White Man's Paradise. But the actual Image of Africa as a geographically rich continent which is often defined as the 'Mother Continent' seems to be totally disregarded.

Achebe in his novel demonstrates the real image of Africa or more specifically Umuofia as a place which is full of living people enjoying their lives, a culturally and geographically rich place which has its own existence. The Image of Africa re-established by Chinua Achebe in his seminal work 'Things Fall Apart' where he gives a very vivid and authentic depiction of Igbo Community and their lives. They are celebrating ceremonial occasions. 

The Feast of the New Yam was approaching and Umuofia was in a festival mood. It was an occasion for giving thanks to Ani, the earth goddess and the source of all fertility.

(From Things Fall Apart Pg. 36)

Things Fall Apart: Countering the Image of Africa against 'Heart of Darkness'

'Heart of Darkness' ranks among one of the shortest novels ever written. Chinua Achebe himself is also more fascinated towards this novel when he reads. But he sees this novel quite differently and reads it more deeply. According to Achebe Heart of Darkness again written by European writers follows the same pattern and perspective which is again written more of orientalist point of view. Achebe sees that Conrad continues the same tradition of distorting the  Image of Africa which has been followed by Europeans from 400 years in order to establish their colonies. 

In 1975 Achebe published one essay titled "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" which was earlier delivered as a lecture at Massachusetts. In this essay he takes a close look at the ideology of Conrad and examines how Africa is represented in Conrad's Heart of Darkness. 

"Heart of Darkness projects the image of Africa as "the other world," the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization, a place where man's vaunted intelligence and refinement are finally mocked by triumphant beastiality."

(Chinua Achebe)

So, Achebe concluded briefly that European represent Africa as 'Other World' in psychological desire or need to demonstrate themselves as superior and sane to Africans. Achebe gave a label of "a thoroughgoing racist" to Conrad and he made two accusations on Conrad…

• Conrad deprives Africa from History. His depiction of Africa in Heart of Darkness suggests that Africa had no history at all
• Conrad deprives African Character - In his novel Conrad does not allows African Character to represent themselves

These are the claims which Achebe raises against Conrad's Heart of Darkness. And his novel Things Fall Apart can be read as an answer against those half-truth depictions which are made by Eropeans to distort the Image of Africa. Tanure Ojaide also makes a similar statement that Achebe follows the below given conviction throughout most of his work…

“African peoples did not hear of culture for the first time from Europeans; … their societies were not mindless but frequently had a philosophy of great depth and value and beauty… they had poetry and, above all, they had dignity”

(Tanure Ojaide)

The Novelist as Teacher and Objective of Writing Things Fall Apart

'Art for art's sake is just another piece of deodorized dog-shit.'

(By Chinua Achebe, From 'Africa and her Writers')

Achebe in his essay says that western notion of 'Art for art's sake is just another piece of deodorized dog-shit.' According to Achebe 'Art is, and was always, in the service of man.' So according to him Art has a purpose and Aim, Art has a duty of uplifting a society from morally and ethically.

So, Achebe insists on the idea that the role of a writer is not merely limited to a pure entertainer. According to him Writer's role transcends beyond authentic delight and besides that he has social responsibility to teach and educate their society. In his another essay titled 'The Novelist as a Teacher' Achebe mentioned two responsibilities which are more specifically centered around African Writers…

• To teach the western readers that the civilization is not something which the Africans heard for the first time only from the European
• To educate African readers themselves who have Internalised this ideology about Africa which is constructed by European that Africa is Uncivilized place

So, The so-called image of Africa which is constructed in Western Discourse has deepened its roots so deeply which can only be vanished by African Writers by following these two responsibilities which Achebe mentions in his essay called 'The Novelist as Teacher.' In one of his interviews with Paris Review Achebe himself confronts that…

“grew older and began to read about adventures in which [he] didn’t know that [he] was supposed to be on the side of those savages who were encountered by the good white man. [He] instinctively took sides with the white people. They were fine! They were excellent. They were intelligent. The others were not . . . they were 

stupid and ugly.”a

(Paris Review 1994)

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe significantly fulfill these two responsibilities of novelist and create one authentic image of Africa which is opposite to what European Writers used to demonstrate. And as an African Writer he serves his society and helps them to gain their Self-confidence back. He establishes the validity of Africa as culture and proves that Africa has its own culture, tradition and tradition.

Conclusion

David Whittaker and Msiska suggest that…

"Achebe’s significant achievements in the novel is the way he succeeds in depicting Umuofia as a vibrant and sophisticated society, with its own complex culture and elaborate moral and ethical codes, while never succumbing to a desire to portray it as an idyllic pre-colonial utopia.”

So, Chinua Achebe wrote 'Things Fall Apart' as a Critical Insider who neither follows African tradition blindly nor rejects western civilization without a reason. For him All cultures have their own significance and capacity to influence one another. But Western Discourse has interrupted this chain and constructed a fake wild and savagery image of Africa and their people. But Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe breaks the chain of misrepresentation which has it's stresses over 400 years by giving an originality check to the entire world by pursuing English language as a mode of communication. To dramatise a dialogue between Western Value and Indigenous ancestral values of African Community he adopts Novel as genre. Achebe's choice of Language as communication and Novel as genre for Things Fall Apart itself shows a resistance, Because these two things remain most of the time in debate among African Scholars. According to them the Western Language and Western Form of Writing does not suit to African culture and Chinua Achebe. But Chinia Achebe succeeded in his purpose by using more Africannized English Language and Use of anecdotes, Legends, Myths and proverbs in between Western forms of Writing. And he successfully re-establish more realistic, more authentic and more image of Africa which was distorted in Western Discourse.

References

• Aboutaha, Abir S. “Representation of the ‘Other’: A Comparative Study between Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.” Nov. 2015,doi:10.13140/RG.2.1.4338.1206. 
• Achebe, Chinua. “Africa and Her Writers.” The Massachusetts Review, vol. 14, no. 3, 1973, pp. 617–629. JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25088351 
• Achebe, Chinua. "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'" Massachusetts Review. 18. 1977. Rpt. in Heart of Darkness, An Authoritative Text, background and Sources Criticism. 1961. 3rd ed. Ed. Robert Kimbrough, London: W. W Norton and Co., 1988, pp.251-261.
• Achebe, Chinua. Interviewed by Jerome Brooks, “The Art of Fiction No. 139”, 1994, Retrieved 04, June 2021. https://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/1720/chinua-achebe-the-art-of-fiction-no-139-chinua-achebe. 
• Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. ANCHOR BOOKS, DOUBLEDAY, 1994. 
• Alam, Md. Mahbubul. “Reading Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart from the Postcolonial  Perspective.” Research on Humanities and Social Sciences, vol. 4, no. 12, 2014, pp. 102–106., doi:2224-5766. 
• Awa, Dr. Onyekachi. “African Culture in Achebe’s Things Fall Apart: a Stylistic  Inquiry.” IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science, vol. 23, no. 3, Mar. 2018, pp. 15–21., doi:10.9790/0837-2303081521. 
• Hammond, Dorothy, and Alta Jablow. The Africa That Never Was. Waveland Press, 1992. 
• Hammond, Dorothy, and Alta Jablow. The Myth of Africa. The Library of Social Science, 1977. 
• Fanon, Frantz, et al. The Wretched of the Earth. Translated by Richard Philcox, Groove Press, 2004.  https://grattoncourses.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/frantz-fanon-richard-philcox-jean-paul-sartre-homi-k.-bhabha-the-wretched-of-the-earth-grove-press-2011.pdf 
• Islam, Shafiqul, and Israt Jahan  Jahan Shuchi. “Challenging the Colonial Stereotypes or Conforming to Them: Investigating Achebe’s Intent in Things Fall Apart.” Theory, History and Literary Criticism, Aug. 2019, pp. 9–26. 
• McLaren, Joseph. “Things Fall Apart: Cultural and Historical Contexts” In Critical Insights: Things Fall Apart. Ed Keith Booker. Massachusetts: Salem Press, 2012. Online. Retrieved from- <http://www.letterkunde.up.ac.za/argief/50_2/10%20Achebe%20tribute%20WEB%2002.PDF> 
• Ojaide, Tanure. “Tribute: Chinua Achebe (1930–2013).” TYDSKRIF VIR LETTERKUNDE, vol. 50, no. 2, 2013, pp. 150–151.doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tvl.v50i2.10. 
• O'Reilly, Christopher. Post-Colonial Literature. Cambridge University Press, Newyork, 2001. 
• Whittaker, David, and Mpalive Hangson Msiska. “Things Fall Apart.” Academia.edu, Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, 2007, www.academia.edu/18059349/things_fall_apart.