things fall apart, chinua achebe, and the igbo people

There are three main tribes in Nigeria: Igbo (pronounced ee-boh), Yoruba, and Hausa. These tribes all have different cultures and traditions, and they also have very strong perceptions of one another. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, which I am reading for Lit class right now, is centered around the Igbo tribe and its culture. So far (I'm only on Chapter 4... but I AM trying to read the entire library here!!), Achebe has lyrically told the story of Okonkwo, an Igbo man who is strong, intimidating, hardworking, and greatly respected among his village and beyond. He is an accomplished warrior, and he runs his family with a heavy hand. His father, Unoka, was very lazy and unreliable, and died in massive debt and poverty. Okonkwo lives in fear of becoming like his father, and strives to be the exact opposite of gentle, passive Unoka. Because of this fear, he is often strict to the point of cruelty with his family.

As you can probably tell, Igbo culture is the foundation of this book. I did some research so that I'd have some background info on Okonkwo's tribe, so I decided to share with you some of what I came up with.***
Religion: Traditionally, the Igbo believed in one supreme god who is distant and watches over his creatures, but does not interfere much. No sacrifices were made to him. They also believed in a variety of minor gods, who are more humanized. In addition to gods, the Igbo believed that there are spirits, often connected to nature, whose good will depends on how they are treated. When they were colonized, they were converted to Christianity.
Education: Most Igbo attend primary school through Nigerian school systems, and some go on to secondary school.
Jobs: The Igbo economy is mainly reliant on root-crop farming. They grow yams, cassava and taro. (yam farming is referred to often in Things Fall Apart)
Music: You can find a video of some Igbo music here.
Politics: They generally get along with the other 2 tribes, but they do not really like the Yoruba much. The Igbo are considered expert business people and perceived as clean and well dressed by the other tribes.
Language: They speak their own language, called Igbo, that is derived from the Niger-Congo region.
***All research information was found at this website.

Photos:

 Some traditional Igbo women looking kinda angry....

An Igbo hut

Modern traditional Igbo wedding guests

So! That's where this book is coming from. I also watched this interview with the author, Chinua Achebe, to see what he has to say about his own writing.

He says that his responsibility and ambition is to correctly represent his people, and make a distinction between good and bad writing. He noticed that in most classic English literature the European people were the heroes, and the Africans were considered savages. He sought to clear this stereotype by explaining the civilization of the Igbo tribe in which he grew up.

That's all I have for now!

GlamingoGirl