-“Does the white man understand our custom about land? How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad…The white man is very clever. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart” (Achebe p.176). These words capture the spirit of the downfall of Okonkwo’s village and life in the classic novel, Things Fall Apart and the start of what we now know as colonialism.
-Using the statements above in Things Fall Apart and drawing from data from the class readings, Palmer’s pp. 68-73, and videos as instruments for analysis and discussion, demonstrate your understanding of the colonial experience in Africa. Discuss how Africa’s clash with European culture translated into what some refer to as the demise of the continent.
Remember that Chinua Achebe’s novel tries to capture the traditional life of his Igbo village before the advent of the white man. He glorifies the culture as he knew it but what we learn is that Africa’s cultural traditions were largely destroyed by Europeans and progress has not met expectations on the global scale during the post-colonial period.
I encourage you to substantiate your arguments with quotes and references from both texts and class sources. When and if you do use quotes, they should be short and relevant and must be referenced in your paper. Show author and page number only in your narrative.
