DOCSLIB.ORG

Chinua Achebe

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe Nigeria's Legendary Novelist Ayo Elebute Published by: Learning Solutions Specialty Publications Ltd, (a division of Rombic Concepts Ltd) Plot 7, Block P, Lagelu Industrial Estate (Behind Gasland) Off Lagos/Ibadan Expressway, Mapo P.O. Box 25256, Ibadan, Nigeria. Tel: 08033280593, 08186116871, 08099113004 e-mail: [email protected] © Ayo Elebute Cover design © Learning Solutions 2020 All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners. First published 2020 ISBN: 978-978-8549-34-5 Every attempt has been made to contact copyright holders. Where the publishers have not heard from them at the time of going to press or where, in the absence of complete information, it has not been possible to identify the sources of materials used, the publishers would be grateful for any information that would enable them to make appropriate acknowledgments in future editions. ii CONTENTS Chapter 1 Chinua Achebe's Parentage 1 2 Chinua's Birth 5 3 His Childhood 8 4 His Mother's folktales 13 5 His Elementary Education 17 6 His Secondary Education 21 7 At the University College, Ibadan 27 8 A Career man 31 9 Playing the Husband 34 10 A Political Crusader for Biafra 39 11 His Later Years 48 12 Chinua Achebe's Literary Works 53 Questions 56 Glossary 64 Appendix 68 References 72 iii CHAPTER 1 CHINUA ACHEBE'S PARENTAGE Okafor Achebe was the father of Nigeria's renowned novelist, Chinua Achebe. Okafor's father was an Igbo man from the Eastern part of Nigeria. His father came from a village called Ogidi in which family compounds were arranged in buildings that are close together, but have separate household. The Achebe's family occupied a compound by origin from the male parent. In Igbo land such family compound is called Umunna. The traditional Igbo religion includes belief in a creator god called Chukwu or Chineke. The people also worship an earth goddess called Ala. The Igbo people also have a belief in ancestors that protect the living descendants. Okafor's father was a lover of Igbo tradition. He was, truthful, brave and generous. He developed strong religious culture as a result of his frequent visits to the religious shrines and listening to religious conversations by traditional priests. 1 Okafor' father was a farmer. He cultivated yams, cassava, and taro like other male adults in the village. He had no formal education, but had personal life experience. His rich knowledge of Igbo tradition put him in a better position to solve most difficult questions and to manage problems that were related to farming. Okafor's mother always prepared and used lands for the raising of crops like corn and okra. She too was deeply religious. Going to the shrine of Ala was one of her daily duties. Okafor's mother would take the religious vows with pains and discomforts as she kept them close to her heart without withdrawing from the pains and grief. She had strong common sense and she was well informed about all things regarding the females in the village. Okafor’s mother died when she was trying to give birth to her second child. Okafor was unable to know her mother very well as he grew up. What he would have loved in his young age was to accompany her, exercising the privilege of childhood and listening to discussions she had with the other mothers in the village. Okafor's father did not survive his wife. So, Okafor was brought up by the brother of his mother, Uncle Udoh Osinyi. Okafor was put in primary school and had reached Standard Five. To be at school at the right hour 2 and to run back home as soon as the school closed was his daily habit. By 1904, Okafor had received education at St. Paul's Teachers College in Awka. He was later employed as a teacher and an evangelist in the Anglican mission. Okafor was a brilliant man, who loved to study. He read many religious books from the Church Missionary Society (CMS). It was during his student days in Awka that he met a beautiful lady who later became his wife. When Okafor became old enough to be on his own, he went to his uncle to tell him that he was planning to get married. “My boy, you are now old enough to be a man, bring a girl of your choice,” his uncle urged. Osinyi was very happy that his nephew would finally be a family man. He had been looking forward to visiting his 'in-law to be' in order to pay the traditional bride price for his sister's son before his death. In order to make his uncle proud, Okafor decided to woo one of the most beautiful girls in Awka. He was able to do this through one of his friends. Her name was Ileogbunam. She was a student of Miss Edith Warner, a white missionary. She received a primary education, which was a great achievement for a woman at the time. He finally met her at a comfortable location that was arranged by his friend. It was somewhere around the village square. Okafor told Ileogbunam that he would like to marry her. 3 No girl was as beautiful as Ileogbunam in the whole village then. She was a woman that could be admired by any man of marriage age in Awka. She was elegant and very attractive. She always positioned her body well when she was moving or standing. Ileogbunam agreed to Okafor's marriage proposal on a note that “the marriage ceremony should come up on time.” Okafor had finally found the girl he wanted to marry. He was very happy throughout his journey back to Ogidi. When Okafor got home, he told his uncle about the good news. His uncle was happy the way the event was going and he said: “Well done my boy, I will gladly support your marriage to the lady of your choice.” 4 CHAPTER 2 CHINUA ACHEBE'SBIRTH The traditional marriage between Okafor and Ileogbunam was immediately arranged by Okafor's uncle and Ileogbunam's parents after careful investigations into the background of both families. As it is the custom in Igbo land, parents of the couple, their extended families, villagers and towns' people must play active roles in traditional wedding ceremonies. This custom made Okafor's marriage very festive and colourful. Some of the guests got drunk that day! After their marriage, an official of the British government in Ogidi village (a white man) convinced Okafor and Ileogbunam to abandon their traditional religion and follow Christianity. The couple accepted the new religion. They were both baptised at a ceremony in which a small amount of water was put on their heads. Their baptismal certificates carried their new names: Isaiah and Janet Achebe. The baptism officially made them members of CMS Church in 5 Nigeria. Later, Isaiah Achebe was appointed instructor in the Christian Catechism Department of the Church Missionary Society (CMS) in Ogidi, his home village. Soon, he became a devout Christian who engaged in preaching to convince other villagers to follow Christian religion. Within a short period, Janet became pregnant and had her first child. In no time, their six children follow each other according to the time they came out of their mother. The family members were always present for their births. On November, 15 1930, the family witnessed the birth of a special bouncing baby boy, the fifth child of the six children by Mr Isaiah Okafor and Mrs Janet Ileogbunam Achebe. It was a day of joy and happiness. Isaiah was proud and fulfilled. He told his wife that he was happy because of the safe delivery. "Congratulations my dear wife for this special gift from God," Isaiah said. For many days, well-wishers came to rejoice with them. They were welcomed by the family. Isaiah provided foods that were eaten between meals and special drinks for the entertainment of guests. The naming ceremony, which was the event that was part of a social or religious occasion in African traditional system, was fixed. During the ceremony, the child was named Albert, after Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria of England. 6 Albert had three brothers and two sisters. They were Frank, Zinobia, John, Augustine and Grace. 7 CHAPTER 3 HIS CHILDHOOD Although Albert Achebe was brought up as a Christian, he tried to know more about traditional Igbo cultures and faiths. His parents had by now stopped practising traditional religion, but as a young boy, he always wanted to experience both the traditional and western ways of life. His home encouraged his understanding of only western cultures. Albert was encouraged to learn the ABC of English tradition by reading kiddies literature written in English language, for English children, in his father's library. He, however, spent hours at nights listening to how his mother, sisters and other members of the family tell traditional Igbo stories. Albert grew up in the village during British rule in Nigeria among the so called educated English- speaking family unlike most children that were living in communal houses. So, he somehow had social and cultural advantages that most children of his age did not have. He must have been about five years old when 8 he followed a boy of about eight year-old to an open space in the village where people met to watch masquerades' dance.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Movement of Transition in Achebe's Work
    International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature (IJSELL) Volume 1, Issue 3 (September 2013), PP 35-43 ISSN 2347-3126 (Print) & ISSN 2347-3134 (Online) www.arcjournals.org The Movement of Transition in Achebe’s Work: A Study of Five Novels Ajimuda. Olufunso Stephen (Ph.D), General Studies Department, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria. Abstract: This paper looks at the movement of transition in the novels of Chinua Achebe, a literary icon who can be regarded as Nigeria and Africa’s best - known novelist. By a movement of transition, what is meant is how Achebe has succeeded in giving an artistic interpretation of the history of his people through two kinds of movement – time and place. The movement of time starts from the late 19th century for Things Fall Apart to around the 1920’s for Arrow of God, the 1950’s for No Longer at Ease, the mid 60’s for A Man of the People and the eighties for Anthills of the Savannah. The movement of place starts gradually from the country – side to the cities. One other feature that can be seen in Achebe’s novels is that in establishing his theme of the transition in the history of his people, Achebe has always relied on the tragic medium in handling this as the tragedy of the major character(s) in each novel become synonymous with the tragedy of a community (either local or national).The paper also explores his contributions to the literary development of Africa, especially with his death on the 22nd of March, 2013.
    [Show full text]
  • Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart Is Probably the Most Authentic Narrative Ever Written About Life in Nigeria at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
    Grade 11 Literature Holy Cross High School Coverage: • Overview of the Author • Background to the Novel • About Things Fall Apart • Summary of the Novel • Character List • Character map • Themes of the Novel • Structure of Part I the Novel • Chapters 1 to 13 Summary; Analysis and Questions • Structure of Part II of the Novel • Chapters 14 to 19 Summary; Analysis and Questions • Structure of Part III of the Novel • Chapters 20 to 25 Summary; Analysis and Questions • Viewpoints of the Novel from different characters • Acknowledgements The Author Chinua Achebe Background Background (1) • Poet and novelist Chinua Achebe was one of the most important African writers. • He was also considered by many to be one of the most original literary artists writing in English during his lifetime. • He is best known for his novel Things Fall Apart (1958). • Born Albert Chinualumogo Achebe, Chinua Achebe was raised by Christian evangelical parents in the large village Ogidi, in Igboland, Eastern Nigeria. • He received an early education in English, but grew up surrounded by a complex fusion of Igbo traditions and colonial legacy. • He studied literature and medicine at the University of Ibadan; after graduating, he went to work for the Nigerian Broadcasting Company in Lagos and later studied at the British Broadcasting Corporation staff school in London. • During this time, Achebe was developing work as a writer. • Starting in the 1950s, he was central to a new Nigerian literary movement that drew on the oral traditions of Nigeria's indigenous tribes. Background (2) • Although Achebe wrote in English, he attempted to incorporate Igbo vocabulary and narratives.
    [Show full text]
  • Post-Colonial Literature: Chinua Achebe
    Aula 4 POST-COLONIAL Literature: CHINUA ACHEBE META Introduce students to Chinua Achebe’s life and work OBJETIVO Ao final desta aula, você deverá ser capaz de: Outline a short biography of Chinua Achebe, placing some emphasis on his contribution to what could be loosely called ‘African literature’. Make a concise presentation of Achebe’s novels and a list of his short stories and poems. PRERREQUISITO Notions about the historicity of the concept of literature; Notions of the process of formation and institutionalization of Literary History and literary theory as disciplines that have in Literature its object of study. Notions of the relationship between Literary History and literature teaching. Luiz Eduardo Oliveira José Augusto Batista dos Santos Literatura de Língua Inglesa VI INTRODUÇÃO In this lesson, we will be studying Chinua Achebe, a very important author in African literature. He was born in Nigeria on November 16th 1930 in the Igbo village of Ogidi. His real name was Albert Chinualumogu Achebe. Although his parents had been converted into Christianity by missionaries from the Protestant Church Mission Society (CMS), Achebe’s father seemed to respect his ancestor’s traditions, of which fact the name Chinualumogu is a reminder, since it is a prayer for divine protection and stability that could be translated as “May God fight on my behalf ”. Having to live between two worlds, namely, that of Christianity and that of tradi- tional beliefs has no doubt played a significant role in Achebe’s education and, later, in his work. He was born Albert Chinualumogụ Achebe, 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013.
    [Show full text]
  • Chinua Acheb's Things Fall Apart
    Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart Since its publication in 1958 Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart has won global critical acclaim and is regarded as one of the most influential texts of postcolonial literature. Offering an insight into African culture that had not been portrayed before, this is both a tragic and moving story of an individual set in the wider context of the coming of colonialism, as well as a powerful and complex political statement of cross-cultural encounters. This guide to Chinua Achebe’s compelling novel offers: • an accessible introduction to the text and contexts of Things Fall Apart • a critical history, surveying the many interpretations of the text from publi- cation to the present • a selection of critical writing on Things Fall Apart, by Abiola Irele, Abdul JanMohamed, Biodun Jeyifo, Florence Stratton and Ato Quayson, providing a variety of perspectives on the novel and extending the coverage of key critical approaches identified in the survey section • cross-references between sections of the guide, in order to suggest links between texts, contexts and criticism • suggestions for further reading. Part of the Routledge Guides to Literature series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of Things Fall Apart and seeking not only a guide to the novel, but a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds Achebe’s text. Dr David Whittaker is a Lecturer at Birkbeck College, University of London. His research interests are in the areas of Nigerian and African literature and in the field of postcolonial studies and he has published a number of articles in journals and anthologies.
    [Show full text]
  • Destruction of Igbo Characters in the Narrative of Chinua Achebe
    A Colonial, Postcolonial, and Existential Sense of Self- destruction of Igbo Characters in The Narrative of Chinua Achebe Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Department of European Languages and Cultures One Volume Abdallah Abormealeh University of Lancaster September 2020 Abstract Taking Sartre’s existential theories as a point of departure, this thesis examines the theme of self-destruction as a phase resulting from the loss of identity among Igbo characters, both during and after British colonisation. Mainly concerned with colonialism and its aftermath, this thesis focuses on selected novels by the Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe, especially Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God, set during the British colonial era, and No Longer at Ease and A Man of the People, set in a post-colonial context. I contend that this theme of self-destruction can not only be examined from colonial/post-colonial perspectives, but also from an existential angle by focusing on the absolute freedom of choice or free will of self- aware characters, who can make and take responsibility for their own decisions, and whose ‘authentic existence’ plays a major role in their decision-making. Consequently, the most important questions explored in this thesis include the following: To what extent can the self-proclaimed superiority of white colonisers over the ‘inferiority’ of colonised blacks lead to the latter’s self-destruction? Moreover, what is the impact of self-awareness on the decisions made by colonised people, which eventually result in their self-destruction? Likewise, how does the representation of self-destruction vary from one character to another? And finally, how can the investigation of self-destruction help colonised people to decolonise their own country and resist the effects of colonisation? 2 Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Chinua Achebe on the Positive Legacies of Colonialism
    African Affairs, 115/461, 646–663 doi: 10.1093/afraf/adw030 © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal African Society. All rights reserved Advance Access Publication 26 August 2016 CHINUA ACHEBE ON THE POSITIVE LEGACIES OF COLONIALISM BRUCE GILLEY* ABSTRACT The late Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe was a key figure in the rise and persistence of anti-colonial ideology in Africa. Yet in his final work, Achebe made a clear statement about the positive legacies of colonialism, praising the British project of state formation and nation building in the lower Niger basin. A careful study of his writings and comments from 1958 until his death in 2013 shows that Achebe was never the simple anti-colonial figure that most assumed, and that his seeming reversal could be read as the culmination of a lifetime’s meditation on African history and politics. Achebe’s final views have significant paradigmatic implications for the knowledge relevant to national identity formation and state building in Africa today. THE BEST-KNOWN OF AFRICAN WRITERS, Chinua Achebe, published in 2012, a year before his death at 82, a mournful recollection of the Biafran war that tore his native Nigeria apart between 1967 and 1970.1 Given Achebe’s stature and his recent death, There was a country attracted more than the usual number of reviews, most of them paying homage to the man and his legacy. While the book is mainly a personal memoir of war, it is also a longer meditation on the history of Nigeria and the reasons for its weakness as a state and nation.
    [Show full text]
  • And “Dead Men's Path” by Chinua Achebe
    “CHIKE’S SCHOOL DAYS” AND “DEAD MEN’S PATH” BY CHINUA ACHEBE: A PHENOTEXTUALIZATION OF RELIGIONWISE CULTURE SHOCK AND ACHEBE’S EARLY SCHOOLING Fetnani Cecilia Abstract Using Edmond Cros‟s sociocriticism, the article shows that Chinua Achebe‟s “Chike‟s School Days” and “Dead Men‟s Path” are a phenotextualization of religionwise culture shock and Achebe‟s early schooling. First, they encompass the idea that Odinani comes to pieces in a confrontation with Christianity; second, Chike, the protagonist whose Christianized family is at the centre of the cultural and spiritual crisis, is nobody else but Albert Chinualumogu Achebe, “The Ogidi Boy”; third, Achebe‟s untimely enthusiasm for Shakespeare‟s language is implicit in the civilizing and religious clash. In concrete terms, the Igbo traditional religion is rejected and defeated; belonging to a Christian family made up of six offspring, Chike John Obiajulu is Albert Chinualumogu Achebe‟s double christened after the Igbo customary words connected with Christianity; and, as a schoolboy at the schoolhouse of fictionalized Ogidi, Chike/Achebe, who strongly dislikes arithmetic, prematurely shows a passionate interest in stories, songs and in the musicality of English. Keywords: Achebe, Christianity, Cros, culture shock, early schooling, English, Igbo, Odinani, passion, phenotextualization, religionwise, short stories, sociocriticism. Introduction With an oeuvre focusing on the Igbo customs and traditions, the impacts of Christianity, and the conflict between the Occidental and African traditional values in the wake of the advent of colonialism1, Chinua Achebe claims to be a champion of his people‟s cultures and traditions. In his short fictions entitled “Chike‟s School Days” and “Dead Men‟s Path”, two stories excerpted from Girls at War and Other Stories, he not only shows his predilection for the culture clash2 between Europe and Africa, i.e.
    [Show full text]
  • There Was a Country: Achebe's Ijele
    198 AN AFRICAN JOURNAL OF NEW WRITING NUMBER 51, 01 JULY 2014 ISSN 0331-0566 There Was a Country: Achebe’s Ijele Felix Chinedu Federal Polytechnic, Oko. 08033762167 [email protected] Abstract Achebe’s There Was a Country can be seen as his final word to his people of Nigeria. The work is an extraordinary achievement in which a variety of subjects, interests, experiences and skills have been put together. Most importantly, Achebe seems to have employed the platform of a historical narrative as a viable instrument for the revelation of some inner sides of himself and his country. He reveals the process of his ‘initiation’ into the fullness of traditional Igbo life and thought system. This is visibly the source of his creative thoughts, and probably, the perception of masquerade art as an important form in the life of the Igbo. This paper attempts to trace the trends of Achebe’s initiation into the tribal life of his people, his creative thoughts and his conception of the ‘art of the masquerade’ in his works, especially, in There Was a Country. It is the view upheld in this paper that if Achebe sees works of art as masquerades (masks), then, There Was a Country must be seen as the IJELE. The paper seeks to 199 AN AFRICAN JOURNAL OF NEW WRITING NUMBER 51, 01 JULY 2014 ISSN 0331-0566 identify the Ijele qualities in the narrative, hence the description of the work as ACHEBE’S IJELE. Introduction Chinua Achebe is an artist whose literary works have gained wide recognition and spread almost all over the globe.
    [Show full text]
  • Zulfiqar Chaudhry, Sadia (2014) African Women Writers and the Politics of Gender
    Zulfiqar Chaudhry, Sadia (2014) African women writers and the politics of gender. PhD thesis. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/5202/ Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten:Theses http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] African Women Writers and the Politics of Gender Sadia Zulfiqar Chaudhry Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy English Literature School of Critical Studies College of Arts University of Glasgow December 2013 Sadia Zulfiqar 2013 ii Abstract This thesis examines the work of a group of African women writers who have emerged over the last forty years. While figures such as Chinua Achebe, Ben Okri and Wole Soyinka are likely to be the chief focus of discussions of African writing, female authors have been at the forefront of fictional interrogations of identity formation and history. In the work of authors such as Mariama Bâ (Senegal), Buchi Emecheta (Nigeria), Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Nigeria), Tsitsi Dangarembga (Zimbabwe), and Leila Aboulela (Sudan), there is a clear attempt to subvert the tradition of male writing where the female characters are often relegated to the margins of the culture, and confined to the domestic, private sphere.
    [Show full text]
  • National Consciousness in Postcolonial Nigerian Children's Literature
    National Consciousness in Postcolonial Nigerian Children’s Literature Kirsten Smart SMRKIR001 A minor dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Master of Arts in Literary Studies Faculty of the Humanities University of Cape Town 2016 University of Cape Town COMPULSORY DECLARATION This work has not been previously submitted in whole, or in part, for the award of any degree. It is my own work. Each significant contribution to, and quotation in, this dissertation from the work, or works, of other people has been attributed, and has been cited and referenced. Signature: Date: 1 September 2016 The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town Contents Acknowledgements ______________________________________________________1 Abstract _______________________________________________________________2 Introduction The Importance of Children’s Literature ______________________________________3 1.1 A Global Perspective __________________________________________________8 1.2 Children’s Literature in Africa __________________________________________12 1.3 Children’s Literature in Nigeria _________________________________________19 Chapter One Writer as Teacher in
    [Show full text]
  • Chinua Achebe and the Politics of Narration, African Histories and Modernities, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-51331-7 172 INDEX
    INDEX A hearing how his characters sound, Achebe, Chidi, 13 107 portrayals of Africans, 10, Achebe, Chinua, 1–20 33, 38, 98, 115 Achebe, Christiana Chinwe Okoli portrayals of British (white) (Christie), 13 characters, 111–123 Achebe, Isaiah Okafor, 12 rejections of high Nigerian Achebe, Janet Anaenechi award, 18 Iloegbunam, 12 Ahiara Declaration, 13, 19 “Africa and Her Writers” (Achebe Ahiara (site of massacre by British), 36, essay), 5, 158, 159 112, 156 “African Literature as Restoration Aidoo, Ama Ata, 13 of Celebration,” (Achebe Altman, Rick, 8 essay), 163 “An Image of Africa: Racism in African storytelling (oral art and Conrad’s Heart of Darkness” orature), 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 32, 41, 42, (Achebe essay), 25, 26, 44, 67, 85, 145, 146, 149, 154, 28, 31, 32, 33, 38, 162, 167, 169 46, 49, 92, 99, 119, “The African Writer and the English 120, 128, 156, 157 Language” (Achebe essay), 38, Anthills of the Savannah (Achebe 77, 78, 80, 81, 83, 89, novel), 4, 5, 14, 16, 42, 91, 93, 97, 108 43, 45, 62, 64, 65, 67, 68, African Writer Series General 69, 71, 105, 106, 108, 111, Editor, 13 122, 123, 133, 159 car accident and paralysis, 17–18 Appiah, Anthony, 52, 158, 161 family, education, and life, 13 Aristotle, 6, 154 © The Author(s) 2017 171 T.J. Lynn, Chinua Achebe and the Politics of Narration, African Histories and Modernities, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-51331-7 172 INDEX Arrow of God (Achebe novel), 4, 5, 15, Chi and dualism, 30, 31, 38, 39, 147 30, 51, 57, 66, 77, 85, 101, 113, “Chi in Igbo Cosmology” (Achebe 114, 116, 117, 118, 123, 133, essay), 147 152, 168 Chike and the River (Achebe young Ashcroft, Bill, 90, 98, 100 person’s novella), 107 Auden, W.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Faith and Ideology in African Fiction for Children and Young Adults
    45 The Role of Faith and Ideology in African Fiction for Children and Young Adults: An Analysis of Achebe’s Fiction for Children, Purple Hibiscus and Story for a Black Night. Prof. Kirti Y. Nakhare African writers have grappled with the question of establishing an identity for themselves, in the shaping of which faith and ideology play a major role. Chinua Achebe believed that the modern African writer should teach and take responsibility in shaping the moral and social values of society. Owing to the erosion of the ethical and communal fabric due to colonization and a series of military coups in the neo-colonial regime, reinstating faith in traditional culture and belief was an essential part of the solution to the problem of identity crisis. History in the postcolonial period was written from the perspective of the colonized struggle. One of the challenges of postcolonial literature was to suggest how to negotiate the anger, bitterness and mistakes of the colonial period. Facing these emotions and tracing the continuity from the past to the present was an essential part of the healing process. During this period of social, economic, political and national reconstruction, the role of youth as agents of change was seen as crucial and children’s books became vehicles for that message. The Legon Seminar in Ghana in 1976, stressed on the urgency of producing books specifically for African children, written by African authors, that reflected the African ethos, experiences and world view. (Schmidt, Nancy.‘Legon Seminar on Writing and Production of Literature for Children.’ Research in African Literature 8.3 (1977):352).
    [Show full text]