The body of works from Africa that comes from Africans themselves is very valuable and special phenomenon in the world that is still dominated by literature of white European male writers. China Achebe famously claimed that the image of Africa in literature is indecent and not accurate and Africans need to tell their own story with their own voice. Things Fall Apart does not tell beautiful or romanticized story about the peaceful people that were crudely colonized by Western civilization. He seems to claim to tell the truth about the culture and kind of people that lived in Nigeria at that time the way he doesn’t smooth some murderous or icky traditions or beliefs of the village depicted.
Although the narration is ongoing from the perspective of the African people, it seems to be close to objective, the characters and their actions are not being vindicated by the narrator, so it brings useful, interesting and extremely necessary standpoint on colonization, the standpoint of African people, so different and unfamiliar to European perspective.
Moreover, the colonization is not the main focus of the novel, it is not another story about the sudden and unexpected changes brought from outside to the harmonious world. The story depicts every little fracture and internet tensions in the culture and society of Nigeria, it also adds to the perceived authenticity of the culture, the reader accepts it as genuine. It is an important remark that author makes about his culture in the times it needed it. As there was no such story told by African, the novel carries strong ideological weight for whole Africa as well. It gave new image to Africa, its peoples and its culture, new understanding in a new way that was not forced on the reader, but welcoming him to take a familiar rout in the unfamiliar land.
Works cited
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1994. Print.
