During Week 5, we will be reading and discussing Chinua Achebe’s book, Things Fall Apart. Chinua Achebe was born on November 16, 1930, in Ogididi, Nigeria, which was considered traditionally Igbo. Achebe had spent his early life studying literature and English at the University of Ibadan. He later went on to work for the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation in Lagos before later going on to tour the United States along with other writers and scholars. After touring the United States with colleagues, Achebe returned to Nigeria where he became a research fellow and professor of English at the University of Nigeria. In 1958, Adeche published his first novel, Things Fall Apart. The novel looks at the concerns of the Igbo people when Western customs and values first arrived in Nigeria in the form of missionaries and colonizers.
Chinua Adeche
The Igbo people are the second largest group of people living in southern Nigeria. They typically live in scattered groups of villages, differing socially and culturally. However, they all speak one language. They believe in various Gods/Goddesses like Chukwu, the supreme God who created heaven, earth, and all the other Gods/Goddesses. An interesting belief the Igbo people share is the idea that the world is inhabited by visible and invisible forces. More specifically, the living, the dead, and those yet to born where reincarnation is the bridge between living and dead. The Ikenga statue is an example of a deity representing wealth and social status as well as power and aggressiveness.
Ikenga Statue- Igbo culture
The Igbo were first introduced to the outside world when Portuguese explorers landed on the shores in the mid-fifteenth century. Early on, the European colonizer’s main interest was the slave trade along the coast of Niger, where many Igbo people were ripped from their families and homes and sent to the New World. After the slave trade was abolished, the Igbo people were British subjects and the British continued to push their control in Africa even further.
I as well did a report on the Igbo people this week and am glad to see we have both provided similar information. I think we both understood that the Igbo culture and religion are the most essential parts of their identity. I really like the visual aid of the statue you included as I did not delve into the statues and art of their religion. Overall, I am glad I was able to research this information and expand my knowledge of the Igbo and their rich culture.
Hi Aleks, I really enjoyed your explanation of the Igbo people and their beliefs. My favorite part of your presentation was learning about, They believe in various Gods/Goddesses like Chukwu, the supreme God who created heaven, earth, and all the other Gods/Goddesses”, it reminds me of Greek gods and their cultures as well.
Hi Aleks,
Thank you for introducing the Igbo people and culture to me. I thought it was interesting that the Igbo people are spread out throughout southern Nigeria and differ socially and culturally. This is beneficial to the Igbo people as a whole because it creates new beliefs and advances for the group. Although they might differ because of each groups’ social and cultural differences, they are all united through the single language that they all speak and the beliefs of having various Gods and Goddesses. They all have the same roots and carry on the traditions in their own ways.
I really enjoyed reading this because it gives some perspective to the colonized countries and what they went through. I had to read stories and poems from colonized people in another class last semester, and it really shows how different the history lessons and the perspective of the colonized are. The people had their culture, language, and beliefs and the white men came in took people away, forced them to peak English and forced Christianity on them. I enjoyed the part about their Ikenga statue and how it represents their status.
Great job!
Thank you also for your presentation on the Igbo tribe. After reading Kelly’s presentation this just solidified the knowledge presented to me as you guys presented on similar topics. I like how you even talked about their statues and art aspects of culture which I liked as well.
I really liked your presentation because you explained detail by detail how igbo people are and how they live. For example you showed the gods they believe in, I figured they were united and not separated, but I didn’t think they would live separated around the nation.
I appreciate the emphasis on the uniqueness of the Igbo culture. Due to the colonial impact on our own westernized history in America, many people are unaware of the diversity of people, language, and culture that exists in African countries. Colonization effects more than just surface level ideals and beliefs, but the social scripts, norms, and geopolitical influence that can completely shift the course of history for a group of people.
Hi Aleks, I really enjoyed reading on the information you have in your post about Igbo culture and their beliefs. I found it very helpful for me to understand a novel because I think it is necessary essential to comprehend the stories in the novel “Things Fall Apart” by knowing how their cultural backgrounds shape their ideas and beliefs.
Hi Aleks,
I really like how you talked about the author, Achebe, and gave us some background on him. It helps a lot when reading a novel to know about the author’s background, so I am glad you included that information. You also did a really nice job talking about the history about the Igbo people. Overall, I think you did a really nice job on your presentation! Well done!
Aleks, the research presentation was really great, and I am wondering how have you chosen such a unique topic? My last presentation failed because I got plagiarism issues, as sometimes it is just impossible to write something unique if the research question is pretty narrow. My teacher recommended to look at fixgerald.com and check the content for uniqueness. I think this tool could really make the student’s life easier and I hope next time I will come up with more creative idea for writing as you 🙂