This week’s reading by Chinua Achebe addresses many of the imperfections that resulted when Britain colonized Nigeria. Things Fall Apart discusses how the natives of Nigeria were treated as the “other” by Britain and were pawns of a larger play. Achebe lived in Nigeria while it was colonized by Britain and he had first-hand experience with the changes that took place, including how Nigerians of high status eventually became commoners with little to no control over decisions.
In the novel, Achebe talks about how Britain manipulates the Igbo people to its own advantage by turning them against their own values; Britain gave the people what they wanted to hear and promised them a better life if they obeyed certain ideals, but Britain did not hold up its end of the bargain. In fact, Obierika, a member of the Igbo tribe, claims that the white men from Britain “‘came quietly and peaceably’” but ultimately “‘put a knife on the things that held [Nigerians] together’” (Achebe 161). Instead of compromising with the Nigerians, the British changed nearly all societal norms. They decided who received land, what religion should be practiced, and how people should be dealt with if they did not conform. Achebe went to a school in Nigeria that was formed by the British, and “[it] provided a cognitive dissonance he had to work through” as he was led to believe that “‘the white man was good and reasonable and smart and courageous’” (Garner). Britain selfishly controlled the Igbo people rather than working for them, and it did not put the money it made from import taxes towards improving the well-being of Nigerians. This is not out of the blue considering that Britain also had too much power over America, hence why the Declaration of Independence was made. Americans suffered under British rule and felt that they were boxed out of all decisions, so they started a revolution. They were alienated as they had little control over life, liberty, and property, and the government under Britain was not representative of the people in America and Nigeria.
It seems as though the abuse of power has always been a recurring problem, and this topic has made me consider many questions. Are those granted power the most deserving of it, or do they just look like they could fit the part the best? Also, are corruption and manipulation necessary to win over people? Issues like this are relevant in America too, and an example of this has to deal with corruption in politics and education. For instance, schools in Texas have been criticized for using history textbooks that downplay the era of slavery and the terrible treatment of African Americans. This state “adopted new, more conservative learning standards” in 2010, hence the reason why those textbook changes were enforced (Isensee). Texas has so many students relative to other states, and a large percentage of them will follow the ideas written in the textbook, as intended (Isensee). However, this is controversial because students will go to college with different views on how some people were treated. Texas seems to be doing something similar to what Britain did to Nigerian schools, and this demonstrates how manipulation is used in everyday life (especially in educational institutions). As a result, people across the world are brainwashed without even knowing.
Works Referenced
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Clipper, 2010.
Garner, Dwight. Bearing Witness, With Words. The New York Times, 22 Mar. 2013,
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/23/books/chinua-achebe-examined-colonialism-and-masculinity.html
Isensee, Laura. “How Textbooks Can Teach Different Versions Of History.” NprEd, NPR, 13
July 2015, www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/07/13/421744763/how-textbooks-can-teach-different-versions-of-history.
“The Colonial Era (1882-1960).” Religious Literacy Project, Harvard Divinity School,
https://rlp.hds.harvard.edu/for-educators/country-profiles/nigeria/colonial-era-1882-1960