Things Fall Apart TypePad瓦解 TypePad.pptVIP

Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” --Chinua Achebe The Novel Achebe’s novel deals with the changes in culture brought about in what is now Nigeria, when the “white man” began colonizing the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Novel focuses primarily on the Igbo people. Nigeria Nigeria Largest country in Africa (130,000,000) 50% Muslim, 40% Christian, 10% Traditional Comprised of various tribal societies with independent cultures and histories. Yoruba Igbo Hausa Colonialism What is Colonialism? Political Domination The Establishment of a Government Large-Scale Religious Conversion Forced Economic Dependence Justifications for Colonialism Economic Colonialism provided a huge natural resource base for small European powers Colonies provided ready markets for finished products Religious: The need to spread Christianity Cultural: “The White Man’s Burden” The Igbo The majority of Igbo are farmers. Their staple crop is yam, and its harvesting is a time for great celebration. They have no centralized chieftaincy, hereditary aristocracy, or kingship customs Instead, the responsibility of leadership has traditionally been left to the village councils.It is possible for an Igbo man, through personal success, to become the nominal leader of the council. The Igbo Before the influence of Europeans and Christian missions, most Igbo practiced some form of ancestor worship, which held that in order to gain success in this world, one must appease of the spirits of the deceased. Igbo Vocabulary Agbala - woman, or man without title ?Bride-price - converse of dowry; the bridegrooms family pays cash or goods to the brides family ? Chi - personal spirit? Egwugwu - a masquerader who represents the ancestral spirits of the village at trials and ceremonies. The egwugwu ceremony of the Ibo (chapter 10)? Foo-foo - pounded yam, traditional staple food of Igbo Vocab Kola