African Literature

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African Literature

• Composition Through World Literature
• Thanks for the help Mr. Kennedy

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_Colonization of Africa
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_New Imperialism

• IMPERIALISM IS THE EXTENSION OF SOVEREIGNTY OR
  CONTROL BY ONE PEOPLE OVER ANOTHER
• Aggressive competition for overseas territory
  The Scramble for Africa
• Doctrines of racial superiority which denied
  people self government autonomy

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_The Berlin Conference 1884-1885

• Called for by Portugal and organized by Otto von
  Bismark Ger. Chancellor
• The 14 nations of Europe would have free trade in
  Africa
• Divided Africa into European control
• Eliminated African self-governance autonomy

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_Carving up the Dark Continent

• European surge in nationalism patriotism lead
  to the desire to . . .
• Be bigger and better than neighboring nations
• bigger and more powerful weapons
• more money
• more land
• more influence
• more resources

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_Why did Europe get involved?
Money
Natural Resources
Industry
Military
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_Other Factors

• Belief in racial superiority
• The White Mans Burden
• Non-Caucasian races incapable for rising above
  tribal primitive ways
• Caucasians must help the backward people
• Social Pressure Missionary Reasons
• Civilize and convert the heathens to
  Christianity

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• In 1875 only 10 of Africa was controlled by
  Europe.

By 1895 only 10 of Africa was free of European
control.
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_Results of European Colonization

• Pro
• Ended slave trade within Africa
• Fought disease
• Fought illiteracy
• Built cities, roads, industries, railroads
• Con
• Africans lost land
• Heavy taxation
• Forced labor
• Poverty for Africans
• Ignored natural and cultural borders war

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• Dry your tears, Africa!
• Your children come back to you
• Out of the storm and squalls of fruitless
  journeys.
• Through the crest of the wave and the babbling of
  the breeze,
• Over the gold of the east
• And the purple of the setting sun,
• the peaks of the proud mountains
• and the grasslands drenched with light
• They return to you
• Out of the storm and squalls of fruitless
  journeys.
• Dry your tears, Africa!
• We have drunk
• From all the springs
• Of ill fortune
• And of glory.
• And our senses are now opened

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Journal 11/10/10

• Describe a time when you were embarrassed by
  something that your parents did

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Things Fall Apart
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_Nigeria
Unity and Faith/Peace and Progress
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_Pre-Colonial Nigeria

• Population
• 8 million people
• Economy
• Farming
• Their staple crop is yam
• Fruit of the palm tree, which is processed into
  palm oil/wine
• Political System
• Responsibility of leadership belongs to village
  councils elders and titled men
• Religion
• Nature and ancestor worship

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_Post-Colonial Nigeria

• Government Republic Oct. 1, 1960
• Population 148 million
• Capital Lagos 8 million
• Currency Naira 120 Naira 1 Dollar
• Religion
• 50 Islam
• 40 Christian
• 10 African Religion
• Official Language English
• 57 Literacy rate
• Exports
• Minerals
• Oil
• Cocoa
• Rubber
• Per capita income 2035

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_The Ibo Igbo People
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• One of the largest ethnic groups in all of Africa
  
• 30 million members worldwide
• 5 million in USA mostly in MD and VA due to
  American slavery
• Famous individuals with Ibo heritage . . .
• Blair Underwood
• Forest Whitaker

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_Society

• Semi-democratic republic counsel of elders
• Focus on equality of people
• Accomplishments did grant individuals titles
  more titles, more respect
• Some areas did have kings and priests
• Legal disputes settled by mediators
• Calendar
• 4 day weeks
• 7 week months
• 13 month year

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• This society values solidarity, kinship, and
  hospitality
• Rituals for marriage and death highly valued
• Art of conversation/oration highly prized
• Wisdom is imparted through proverbs, stories, and
  myths

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_Culture

• Ibo music is melodic and symphonic
• Heavy use of percussion instruments
• A wind instrument like a flute also used
• Art
• Masks symbolizing animals, people, abstract
  concepts
• Metal working

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_Religion/Mythology

• Now mostly Christian some Jewish
• Prior to colonization
• Polytheistic belief in more than one god
• Universe divided into 4 parts
• Chukwu supreme god creator/solar god
• Umuagbara Lesser gods
• Ndi Ichie Spirits of dead people
• Uwa the world

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• Belief in reincarnation, but always as a human
• Each village has a priest or priestess to handle
  spiritual matters speak for the gods and
  ancestors and enforces taboos.

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_Colonial Attire

• Ibo wear little to no clothing up to puberty.
• After puberty, men wear cotton loin cloth and
  loose cotton shirt.
• Women wear cotton wraps body and head.
• Elders were fully clothed
• Modern clothing includes the dashiki and Western
  styles pants/shirts/shoes

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_Agriculture

• Life follows the seasons.
• Most Ibo people are farmers
• Most live in the fertile Niger River valley in
  the SE of Nigeria
• Staple crops include
• Yams
• The yam harvest is a time of great celebration
• Cassava

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_The Story
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_Plot

• The story of the struggle between traditionalism
  and the winds of change
• Specifically, British colonialism and a small
  Nigerian village at the turn of the 19th century
• It is also a story about a strong man who is
  dominated by fear and anger.

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_Structure

• The book is divided into 3 parts
• Part 1 Depiction of Ibo culture and development
  of protagonist
• Part 2 and 3 Traces the encounter and conflict
  btw. Ibo and European

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• People go to Africa and confirm what they
  already have in their heads and so they fail to
  see what is there in front of them. This is what
  people have come to expect. It's not viewed as a
  serious continent. It's viewed as a place of
  strange, bizarre and illogical things, where
  people don't do what common sense demands.
• --Chinua Achebe
•  

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_Authors Purpose

• Achebes purpose was to present a complex and
  dynamic society to Western audiences.
• This was done to combat the Western perception of
  African society as primitive, simple, and
  backward.

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• His hope was to give his people a belief in
  themselves again.
• Achebe is not saying one culture is better than
  the other.
• He acknowledges that each have aspects that are
  good and aspects that are bad.

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THE SECOND COMING _William Butler Yeats
1865-1939 Turning and turning in the widening
gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconerThings
fall apart the centre cannot holdMere anarchy
is loosed upon the world,The blood-dimmed tide
is loosed, and everywhereThe ceremony of
innocence is drownedThe best lack all
conviction, while the worstAre full of
passionate intensity.Surely some revelation is
at handSurely the Second Coming is at hand.The
Second Coming! Hardly are those words outWhen a
vast image out of Spiritus MundiTroubles my
sight somewhere in the sands of the desertA
shape with lion body and the head of a man,A
gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,Is moving its
slow thighs, while all about itReel shadows of
the indignant desert birds.The darkness drops
again but now I knowThat twenty centuries of
stony sleepWere vexed to nightmare by a rocking
cradle,And what rough beast, its hour come at
last,Slouches toward Bethlehem to be born?
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_Resources

• Hunt et al. The Challenge of the West. D.C. Heath
  and Company. Lexington, 1995.
• Igbo. www.igbo.biz/igbo
• Nigeria People. www.photius.com
• Nigeria. www.uiowa.edu
• Peoples Resources. www.uiowa.edu
• Perry et al. Western Civilization Ideas,
  Politics, and Society.
• Houghton Mifflin Company Boston, 1989.
• Scott, Foresman. History and Life. Scott,
  Foresman, and Company Glenview, 1990.
• The Ibo People. www.anthro.mankato.msus.edu
• The Ibo People. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibo_people
  
• The Igbo People. www.uiowa.ede
• University of Iowa. www.uiowa.edu