Effects of Colonization on Nigeria
The novel “Things Fall Apart” written by Chinua Achebe follows the story of a fictional character named Okonkwo who lives within the clan of Umuofia in Nigeria. This story begins during the pre-colonization era in Nigeria and continues into the British colonization in the early 20th century. Colonization occurs when a foreign presence comes and asserts control and domination over the native land, largely for their own benefit. As you can imagine this colonization had many effects both on the Nigerians living through this experience as well as generations to come. These effects have both been positive and negative for the people in Nigeria.
Throughout my research I found overwhelmingly more negative impacts than positive ones. The first one may seem obvious, but this colonization resulted in Nigerian society being completely dependent on the British rulers. Before this, Nigeria was an independent country and now due to the exploitation of resources by British power Nigeria is considered underdeveloped (Ejeh, 14). Through the lens of a woman, Tambu, looking back on her experiences as a child living in colonized Nigeria, she saw the effects in herself. Tambu knew her place in society was to cook and work in the land and this was due to the double oppression of women in colonized society. Throughout Achebe’s novel we see that women are not viewed as equals in society however this is made worse through colonization. Finally, Nigeria’s culture and traditions are fading away as people begin to dress and talk like their British rulers. According to Ejeh, “a good number of Igbo sons and daughters can hardly speak or understand their language” (14).
The greatest positive effect of the colonization of Nigeria was the impact on their education system. Children suddenly had much greater access to schools as the new government worked to build new schools and provide children with access to education. The curriculum in the school was also aimed toward skills that would “meet the long-term developmental needs of the society” (Omojimite, 93). Universities were established and expanded by the new federal government and primary education was made free for all children living in Nigeria. Eventually a phase of decline set in due to lack of funding but overall, the children and society have been greatly impacted by the development and access to schools from the British government.
Resources:
Bajnay, Flora. “Postcolonialism in Children’s Eyes: The Effects of Colonization on the Development of Children.” In Esse: English Studies in Albania, no. 2, 2018, pp. 91–111., www.ceeol.com/search/viewpdf?id=913191. Accessed 23 Sept. 2021.
Ejeh, Paulinus C. “COLOMENTALISM: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF COLONIZATION IN NIGERIA.” AMAMIHE: Journal of Applied Philosophy, vol. 19, no. 1, 2021, acjol.org/index.php/ajap/article/view/1091/1077.
Omojimite, Ben U. “Education and Economic Growth in Nigeria: A Granger Causality Analysis.” African Research Review, vol. 4, no. 3, July 2010, pp. 90–108., doi:10.4314/afrrev.v4i3.60158.
After reading your presentation I did some farther research about the colonization of Nigeria and found that the women did suffer the most. Just like you had said, they were never considered equal, they had a “job” to do. Like being mothers and wives, staying in the kitchen and being unseen. The children did happen to benefit through their educational advances. I enjoyed your presentation and it was very accurate which correlated with my findings also.
It is interesting how a country can slowly become dependent on another. Just as Nigeria slowly became dependent on the British. The country was too small to fight off the power of dominant force and as the British used this as a benefit for themselves it did not fare well for the citizens of Nigeria, especially the women. Reading the story and this presentation is a light on issues that these women had to face. They suffered from their own country forcing them to be in set roles and the British also oppressed the entire country. This is something that may have benefited Nigeria in the end as far as the educational system but has caused a ripple effect of other issues.
This was a very interesting write up. I was uninformed about the colonization of Nigeria, and now I have some sort of knowledge on it. I had no idea women were so victimized in this instance, and I feel like this information should be much more wide spread. Women were obviously never seen equal to men as they were perceived to only be there for the children and to tend for the household. It is excellent to see that children benefitted from the new and improved school systems, and I like how you wrote a paragraph about this.
Great presentation that illustarted both the negative and positive impacts of the colonization of Nigeria. Due to Nigeria’s culture “fading away” one can interpret that the natives had suffered a great deal of identity loss as the British had imposed their culture and language on the natives. This led to the natives abandoning their culture and traditions which we can see has had lasting effects. Digging deeper into the colonization of Nigeria, other positive impacts besides improved education included an improved modern idea government resulting in a more structured form of government. Improved infrastructure was also introduced which contributed to the enhanced networks of travel and trade. I enjoyed the presentation as it displayed two sides of the colonization of Nigeria which allowed for a reflection of comparison.
I enjoyed your post. It was very insightful to read about both the positive and negative effects colonization had on the people of Nigeria. It was not surprising to read that colonization resulted in Nigerian society being completely dependent on the British rulers, but it was disappointing because Nigeria was once an independent country and now they are underdeveloped and dependent on an outside source. It was also so disappointing to read about how Nigeria’s culture and traditions are fading away as people begin to dress and talk like their British rulers. Although there seems to be more negative effects I think the greatest positive effect you shared in your presentation is the positive impact on the education of Nigeria.
I thought your presentation was great, and it helped to show the effects that colonization can have on a broad scale in a country. What started out as a story in one tribe quickly developed into where all 9 tribes in Achebe’s book were in some way influenced by the colonial presence. I liked the point you made about how many who came in later generations had a different culture compared to their ancestors. I feel as though this is a common theme among areas that have been under colonial rule, their own culture is taken away and replaced with one that is “correct”. But overall, i thought your writing did a good job in explaining this story and how it can be translated into real life.
Hello.
Before I did my own research on colonization, I thought there would be only negative effects. It is surprising to find some positive effects on colonization. Schools were definitely a positive impact. Nigerians were able to have similar education that Britains were taught. Education was also free which was something I didn’t expect. However, the negative effects definitely outweigh the positive effects. Britain stole resources like gold, ivory, and rubber, which made Nigeria a underdeveloped country because they no longer had much natural resources. The culture in Nigeria faded away too. In Things Fall Apart, the Nigerians stopped believing their own religions and converted to Christianity.
Hi, I really enjoyed reading your context presentation on Achebe’s work. There is definitely an overwhelming amount of negative effects that the colonization had on the people of Nigeria, but I like that you were still able to include that there was some positive effects from it as well. I also liked the research you did, I found it very interesting and feel that it really helped round out your points made.
I thought you made a great post both about the positives and negatives of colonization on Nigeria. One thing I didn’t know about was the access to schooling that all children had, and how further education into universities was also improved. I would’ve thought after learning abt this that because of the way some societies are, the further education would have been only open to men due to the “double oppression” of women.
I think it is really interesting that out of all the events that happened the education improved significantly it seems. I also think that with the curriculum developed towards meeting the long term developmental goals of the society it puts the society in a better place as well. However, I think the society had bigger fish to fry with the negative impact it has on women. All together I really enjoyed your views through this post!!
I was surprised to read that there were negative and positive effects of colonization. I would have only thought there to be negative effects for the native people. I still think the negative effects outweigh the positive ones because Nigeria could no longer be independent and had to rely on the British to survive. I also thought it was important the point was made about the oppression of women in colonized society
Hi! I really liked the way you wrote your post. In the post before yours, they used many historical details to describe the background of the story. I felt like yours really added to my understanding in a very positive way. It provided many necessary details when trying to understand colonization and imperialism. I agree that there are too many negative aspects compared to the positive ones. I feel that the positive aspects benefited the next generation, not so much the adults. I feel that they had their culture stripped away from them. I also acknowledged the women in the story. The way they were treated pretty much reflected women everywhere regardless of imperialism and colonization. They were seen as less than men regardless of who was in charge. Overall, great job!
I really llike the way you lookied into the colonialization of Nigeria. I never thought about the socital impacts of colonization but after ready the sources you cited in floored at how much Nigerias African heritage was stomped out. On top of this I stared wondering where Africa as a whole would be without Colonization. I figured Africa could have some sort of unity much like Europe and America. Now back to the positives, what few there are. The fact the Britsh were teaching the natives is impressive however, i dont think it can out weight the atrocities they performed on that land. Thank you, for showing me another side of colonialization.
This post was very interesting to read and you made many great points. Discussing both the positive and negative parts of colonization really made me think about colonization as a whole. The loss of power to Britain rulers is an extreme negative, as the country became dependent on others in order to function. However, the rise in education and schools is a very good positive. Allowing people to receive an education is one of the most important things that they will need throughout their lifetime. Thank you for sharing.
Great Presentation! I really enjoyed how you looked at the Colonization of Nigeria and how it affects the country to this day. Even though the novel is to have taken place in the early 20th century, you still found a way to tie it back to present day. I personally didn’t realize how much of the colonization of a nation would have such long withstanding impacts that are still prevalent today. Or that these impacts are felt years and years later, by something such as the previous lack of education for many children. This is a very interesting post and really puts a light on what occurred long term and short term to the country of Nigeria because of its colonization.
Great presentation! I like how you talked about the Nigeria colonization, because I really did not know much about it. It was also interesting to hear about how it affected women; women in society of so many cultures are just seen to be the cookers and cleaners of their households. Although there were many negatives that resulted from the colonization, I like how you also included the positives, like the improvement to the school system. Overall awesome job!
Great post! I think it is very interesting that in your search for the pros and cons of the colonization of Nigeria, you were even able to find positive impacts as a whole. Of course educational advancement, especially for the youth, is a big step forwards, however, can we really consider this advancement a positive in the long run? I did some research and found that according to many different sources and rankings, Nigeria today falls in the bottom 15% educationally and has some of, if not the most out-of-school children globally. I applaud you for trying to shed light on such a dark situation, however, considering this type of positive is supposed to last in the long run, can we really be sure it counts as a positive compared to with what Nigeria is left with educationally today? Just some food for thought!
Hi,
Thank you for providing the setting for Things Fall Apart. The mention of white man throughout the novel lead me to believe that this was around the time the region was colonized. Your mention of the role of women and how they were dually oppressed reminded me of the Subaltern. The subaltern were oppressed by the colonizers and the locals similar to how the women were oppressed. I am curious on what their rights were like then compared to slaves. I did notice in the readings that there wasn’t a lot of European influence in their culture outside of laterns and guns. They had vastly different bariel habits and political structures.
You made some important points about how colonization affected the people in Nigeria. Reading part one of the book displays some of the examples you stated. Furthermore, you stated how “Tambu knew her place in society was to cook and work in the land and this was due to the double oppression of women in a colonized society.” In Things Fall Apart, it is evident that each person knows their place in society. The men in Umuofia were supposed to be the stereotypical strong fatherly figure that does not show any emotion because it “was a sign of weakness.” (28). Everyone knows how to act, and if he or she disobeys what they are supposed to be doing he or she will have consequences through other people in society or the spirit world. It will be interesting to see more impacts of colonization in the rest of the book.
I really enjoyed your post and in depth analyzing of Nigeria. I think it was beer important that you still included the positive things that the colonization caused like all of the school system improvements, while still not dismissing all of the negatives like the treatment of women. In general I think that we can say that Nigeria has improved greatly in the past years but like you said, there are still long standing effects from colonization that a can be seen today.
This was a great and informational presentation and I enjoyed reading. I agree that the British colony did a lot of terrible things to the Nigerian people but you have show some positive aspects of them taking over to help the future of Nigeria as to where it stands today. The woman of Nigeria for centuries have been treated unfair to say they are built in maids and servants and most of the time that has not changed but in the now times that has changed. Many Nigerian woman are career driven but they are deemed to their traditional ways.
Hi, I enjoyed reading your piece on the negative and positive effects on Nigeria after the colonization. I did not know a lot about Nigeria before I read this and one thing I learned and find interesting is how much better of an education system that Nigeria had after the colonization. You talked about how their programs improved and expand, and overall benefitted the children. I think that is interesting!
Hi! Your presentation is well written and organized, especially with how you organized negative and positive examples allowing the reader to fully appreciate and understand conceptual proof. I like how you discussed how women knew their positions in society, and that they were necessary for cooking. This connects to single stories as these women are represented by what standards and expectations presented by single stories of how women are supposed to be treated and act. Without being exposed to women having other jobs or power, these women are left to the single story of their everyday life. I also liked how you discussed how populations were dressing like their rulers. This connects to the “other,” idea in class as these people are only satisfied when they feel like their “master,” as if they cant mentally be them, they can physically appear and convince themselves otherwise to feel significant and fit in.
Hello!
I like how you sought out a good impact of something that is generally seen as negative. Education is a super important part of any society, so it is important to recognize that colonization brought that to Nigeria. However, many of the dependency issues that we often blame on them stem from colonization. I also like how you brought up the way that they view the sexes in Nigeria. They have not really advanced in a social manner since colonization.
Awesome job!
Hello! I really enjoyed reading your piece on both the negative and positive effects on Nigeria after colonization and it was very well written. I like that you wrote about the double oppression of women and how they knew that their role was supposed to be cooking and working the land. In all societies we see that women are seen as less than and this is especially evident in Achebe’s novel. I didn’t know much about colonization in the past but it was interesting to learn that the biggest positive was the education system. Great post!
This was an awesome presentation, and you sound very knowledgable! I appreciated that you shared both a negative and positive. I have only ever thought or heard of colonization as malicious, so this was a perspective change for me. Another example of a positive would be the construction of hospitals and the introduction of Western medicine, which is critical for the treatment of many diseases. I still feel like colonization is mostly a bad thing though, since the main goal is to get as much labor and/or benefits from another group of people as possible (exploitation). Your example of the con that Nigerians became reliant on the British has me really curious what Nigeria would be like today if the British had never invaded. Does anyone think that they would be considered first world? I’d be interested to hear other peoples’ thoughts.
This was a very interesting read! You approached this in a very analytic way and I really enjoyed how you mentioned both negative and positive things, especially for something that’s usually viewed as a negative. Every time I’ve learned about colonization, I’ve only been taught to view it in a bad light, but now I know that there are positives to it (even though there is still an overwhelming amount of negatives). Wonderful post!
Hello! I really enjoyed your presentation. I think it is more than important to recognize how negatively effected Nigeria was from colonization. The colonizer instilled ins own system and then left behind Nigeria to fend for itself. Something that I did not know was that the education systems were improved from colonization. This is very interesting to me. After reading Things Fall Apart and observing the power relationship between men and women, I wonder if there is equal opportunity in these educational services for men and women.
I liked that you mentioned how the women who experienced colonization suffered the most. Being at a such an intersectional crossroads of oppression coming from different directions is something that should be discussed more. I think it is easy for the Euro men in power to “other” indigenous men and even further “other” indigenous women, people that they can not relate to in any form other than being a human; which is forgotten in the process of “othering”.
Hi,
When I read this book, I did not think about the impact of colonization on local culture like you. Compared with the length related to the colonists, the author shows more charming stories and cultures of the African continent in this novel. But with the reading of the previous two weeks and seeing your reply today. I suddenly realized that these unique cultures I indulged in may no longer exist today. Instead of these cultures are the elitism left by colonial culture and the remaining local culture. I believe that when I reread this book one day, I will have a new understanding of the story and culture in the article.
Hi! Really interesting presentation. Before this, I never thought or knew that colonization could have positive impacts. I always viewed colonization as a negative thing since it really degrades a country and imposes on a countries culture and identity. But although Nigeria did get a better education when the British took over, the negative definitely outweigh the positive impacts.
Thank you for such an interesting and informative presentation. I appreciated how you not only talked about the negative impacts that colonization has, but also the positive. I know myself, I have really only learned/heard about the negative aspects. It saddens me how colonization really disregards and in a sense takes away local culture and replaces it with something so much less meaningful and unique. I know myself, I absolutely love the diversity of so many cultures and find them fascinating and insightful. I can only imagine how locals feel when colonization takes over what they have ever known and built to be.
On a positive note, I was glad to learn that the Nigerian children and residents are getting better education access and schooling. This will greatly benefit not only the individuals themselves, but the community overall!
Hi! Thank you for the great and informative post. It is very important that we understand both the positive and negative impacts of colonization. Yes the root of their culture is some what taken away, but they are receiving some aid and a better education. They way not have gotten that if they didn’t experience colonization. Its just a touchy subject to discuss about which is right and which is wrong. I think a lot of people see both sides too. Overall you had a great presentation, thank you!