Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe’s classic Things Fall Apart is as powerful today as it was when first published in 1958. It tells the story of Okonkwo, a strong and well-respected leader in Umuofia, a fictitious Igbo village in Nigeria.
Okonkwo is a tough warrior. He is aggressive, violent, prone to fits of uncontrollable rage, and abusive toward his wives and children. He is a product of a culture in which masculinity is defined as projecting power and control over women, children, and the men who show signs of weakness. Okonkwo goes to extremes to avoid earning the pejorative label of “woman” by eschewing even the slightest hint of weakness.
Life in Umuofia is far from idyllic. The culture is harsh, unforgiving, and based on gender stratification and a rigid hierarchy. Superstitions abound. A life is taken for a life. Twins are perceived as possessed by evil spirits and routinely abandoned in the forest to die. Domestic violence is pervasive. But it is also a culture rich in tradition and rituals which bind the community together into a cohesive unit. People know their places and the roles they are expected to perform based on their age, gender, and position in the social hierarchy. Formal protocols are adhered to in meetings, whether it is village elders gathered to render judgments on disputes or negotiations for bride dowries. Pleasantries must be exchanged before the serious business can begin. It is a culture strictly governed by ritual, tradition, superstition, protocol, and tribal laws. But all that changes with the arrival of white colonialists and missionaries. The influx of Christian missionaries and colonial governing structures cause the fragmentation of tribal bonds which rupture the community.
Despite some abhorrent practices and beliefs, life in Umuofia before the influx of foreign missionaries is vibrant, cohesive, and communal. Villagers’ lives are regulated by the natural cycles of planting, harvesting, the rainy season, and drought. Their language is rich with natural imagery and metaphors; their myths and folktales serve as exemplars. While some in the community abandon their traditional beliefs and embrace the new religion, others, like Okonkwo, cannot reconcile themselves to changes that have fragmented the community. His violent temper leads to tragic consequences.
Traditional ways of life fall apart when confronted with a colonial power armed with the Bible in one hand and superior weapons and technology in the other. The final paragraphs are a scathing indictment of the callous indifference shown by colonialists at the tragic cost in human suffering of the indigenous population when it collides with colonialism.
Even decades after its first publication, Achebe’s masterpiece is as prescient and powerful today as it was when first published.
Highly recommended.