Chinua Achebe

Now is time to talk about one of the most influential African writers: Chinua Achebe and a little bit about his first novel Things fall apart.

Chinua Achebe was born in the Igbo  town of Ogidi in southeastern Nigeria on November 16 of 1930.  Furthermore, as he was an excellent student, he won a scholarship for undergraduate studies, and while he was at the university he began his writing career. 

Moreover, he studied broadcasting at the British Broadcasting Corp. in London in 1956, and was later the director of external Broadcasting for the Nigerian Broadcasting Service. Through working there he got important context to get his book published, not only in Africa for also in Europe.

The more he gets interested in African culture, religion, origins, and so on and so forth, the more he starts questioning history, and the result is a sort of new version of history from Africa, which is reflected in his first novel Things fall apart. In addition, he  rejected his European territory and embrace his African role, which led to get in touch with Igbo people. 

What's more,  he sees the neccessity of becoming a teacher(writer):To be a writer is essentially to be a teacher, why? Because the writer is an imparting of knowledge. The teacher is suppose to open student's eyes, to open the perception to be a Mwalimu, which is an Igbo word to talk about a shape of conscious, a commit to a fight, to a fight against the demoralizing impact of Colonialism, to learn to not be ashamed of your nature, or to the perception of yourself, to be a south that is aware of his/her own reality. If you portray that, you are aware, which lead to a rejection of the imperialism. (they were invaded and force to change virtually all their ways by a foreign nation. For the Igbo society, imperialism was forced upon them)

To continue, his writings, including the novel Things Fall Apart, have introduced readers over the world to visionary ways and forms of language, as in including a precise inside details of modern African life and history. Fully, Achebe has helped to modify the image of African history, culture, and place in world interest.

Moving on, Things Fall Apart is recalled as a literary classic and for this it has been taught and read everywhere in the English-speaking world. For being a literary classic, it has been translated into forty five languages. Further, the novel, in brief words, is about Okonkwo, an ambitious man who has move up from nothing to a man of attention and importance in his tribe, Umuofia.  

I personally  found this novel very authentic and interesting. It really caught my attention that Okonkwo was  severely  committed  to the beliefs and social hierarchies of his people, but at the same time he had a serious idea that his children should follow his same demanding example. From my point of view, it's not really neccesary to impose things to children because then they end up realizing it by themselves. But without leaving apart the main issue that captured my thinking that had to do with the injustices by the British that were too much for him and his people, and after an act of opposition, in which his people didn't back him, Okonkwo resigns to desperation. He was full of hate, and also deplore for the destruction of his people's independence, and what's more important, he was not going to accept  dying under the white law, so, he hangs himself. An evident act of betrayal from his people, and surely a sad ending, but also a resistance one. 

I sincerely believe that this novel is worth to read it, not only because it certainly takes the reader into the Igbo culture, but also because you can appreciate the writing.