“When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said “let us pray.” We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.”- Bishop Desmond Tutu. Houseboy a novel written by Ferdinand Oyono is an anti-colonial novel. This novel is written in a diary form from the view of Toundi. Toundi is the main character and through his life experiences Oyono reveals the truth about the colonialists which were the French. The novel starts with Toundi on his deathbed and then he later recalls the events that caused him to be there. The aim of this essay to answer the question to what extent is Houseboy a critic of the colonial legacy in Africa. Toundi the French culture and immediately adapts to it. Toundi represents all natives from Cameroon suffering from identity crises. This is proven from the following quotation in the first chapter of the novel “Now I keep a diary like he [Father Gilbert] does. Keeping a diary is a white man’s custom and what pleasure there is in it I do not know. But I shall try it out.” This quotation represents Toundi’s desire to be French. This also represents the identity crises he is going through. Toundi is confused as to whom he should be an African or French. In the first chapter of the book Toundi mentions the fact that he was meant to be a serpent and take care of his race. This is the initiation stage for toundi where he had a chance to be superior to his other native fellow but he chose to run away instead. Toundi runs away from home and goes to live with Father Gilbert where he is considered to be a house”boy”. He is dedicated to father Gilbert regardless of the treatment he got from him. It is ironic that Toundi escapes his house due to the continuo... ... middle of paper ... ...ct later in the novel we can sense racial discrimination. Madame was not punished for commiting adultery which Moreau. In conclusion Oyono criticizes the colonial time to a great extent to make the audience aware of the hypocritical method used to exploit the land and the destruction caused when citizens like Toundi who believed the false policy of assimilation. The Africans may have been claimed to be less civilized which is ironical to the idea of assimilation. Examples such as the priest or the immoral Madame are a part of the weak system which was enforced in Cameroon to civilize the natives. Such system which cannot follow its own rules cannot aid in controlling or improving the lives of others. The critics helped the audience to learn more about the problems and the ironical actions happening to Cameroon which could definitely not bring justice to the locals.
To begin with, it is imperative to understand the premise and dialog of the book. Walker divides Shaky Colonialism into eight chapters. These chapters detail the inhabitants’ perceptions, struggles, efforts, etc. through the eyes and ideas of Walker. He begins in Chapter One with the explanation of the main points that will be discussed within the book. Chapter Two discusses the people of Lima’s reasons as to why they b...
This seems to illustrate Sembene’s personal storytelling about the patriotism and its effects on the post- colonial African. As the story of Black Girl seems to be nothing more than a tragedy of...
In Richard Wright’s novel, Black Boy, Richard is struggling to survive in a racist environment in the South. In his youth, Richard is vaguely aware of the differences between blacks and whites. He scarcely notices if a person is black or white, and views all people equally. As Richard grows older, he becomes more and more aware of how whites treat blacks, the social differences between the races, and how he is expected to act when in the presence of white people. Richard, with a rebellious nature, finds that he is torn between his need to be treated respectfully, with dignity and as an individual with value and his need to conform to the white rules of society for survival and acceptance.
In the novel Segu, Maryse Conde beautifully constructs personal and in depth images of African history through the use of four main characters that depict the struggles and importance of family in what is now present day Mali. These four characters and also brothers, by the names of Tiekoro, Siga, Naba, and Malobali are faced with a world changing around their beloved city of Bambara with new customs of the Islamic religion and the developing ideas of European commerce and slave trade. These new expansions in Africa become stepping stones for the Troare brothers to face head on and they have brought both victory and heartache for them and their family. These four characters are centralized throughout this novel because they provide the reader with an inside account of what life is like during a time where traditional Africa begins to change due to the forceful injection of conquering settlers and religions. This creates a split between family members, a mixing of cultures, and the loss of one’s traditions in the Bambara society which is a reflection of the (WHAT ARE SOME CHANGES) changes that occur in societies across the world.
After exploring the backgrounds of Joseph Conrad and Alan Paton, we realize the differences in their upbringings and how that may have had an effect on their outlooks of Africa. These authors grew up in completely different settings in completely different time periods; Joseph Conrad in a predominantly white area amongst those who would be the colonists of Africa in the future, and Alan Paton in the Africa itself amongst those who the colonization affected most greatly. These factors contribute to the different viewpoints that are apparent in their respective works. From analyzing the content of their writings, it is apparent that, although, both authors have the same overall opinion of colonialism, these opinions are due to two very different reasons.
This is a gripping novel about the problem of European colonialism in Africa. The story relates the cultural collision that occurs when Christian English missionaries arrive among the Ibos of Nigeria, bringing along their European ways of life and religion.
Chinua Achebe was an influential Nigerian author during the 1900’s who was credited with his three essays which have been fused together into the book “Home and Exile”. In his stories he discusses things such as his own Igbo people, the problems with colonialization, the strength that stories can have and many more topics. A big part of his essays are on his thoughts of colonialism, the impact it has had on his home of Nigeria, and how stories written by others either helped justify colonialism or rejected it. Chinua argues that stories have their own power to fight, and while stories themselves do not have the ability to directly fight colonialism; they do, however with their power of words, stories can motivate and encourage people to stand up against colonialism. In proving this thesis to be a true statement, I will be providing evidence of the how, why and the extent to which stories can fight colonialism.
Another emphasis is on the learned customs of the people. In court when Kumalo finds that his son will be hanged, he is touched that a white man breaks the custom to help him walk outside. When the white boy raised his cap to Kumalo, he, "felt a strange pride that it should be so, and a strange humility that it should be so, and an astonishment that the small boy should not know the custom." (p. 234). The fact that this small courtesy was taken so heavily is overwhelming from a post-colonial point of view. Kumalo is so accustomed to the way of the land that he does not dare think that he deserves even this respect.
Though written in response to Mussolini’s invasion of Algeria in 1935, the poem’s criticism of European colonialism in Africa can be extended to the host of European nations that ran the race to colonial domination. The poem is structured to mirror the evolution of Africa, with the three stanzas respectively dealing with Africa’s creation, colonisation and post-colonialism. This sets up the framework for the contrasting of the three periods, which expose the poet's impression of the hypocrisy of Western imperialism. For Tagore, Western imperialism in Africa has hindered the country's natural progression towards civilisation. This is emphasised through his ample use of anthropomorphism which offers a human dimension to Africa. The employment of pathos in Africa also conveys Tagore's conception of Western colonialism as driven by an ignorant sense of contempt that has ruthlessly robbed the continent of its innocence.
Magesa, Laurenti. African Religion: The Moral Tradition of Abundant Life. Nairobi: Pauline Pub., Africa, 1998.
To colonize the land of Nigerian tribal people or any other lands in the world, the British wisely used religion as a tool of invasion. Though the process of spreading Christianity took longer time than war and killing, the attack on belief and spirituality made the native people completely submit to the new government which generated and supported the religion that those people followed. In fact, the British missionaries succeeded in convincing the Igbo people of the new religion despite the Igbo’s conservativeness and extreme superstition.
In Chinua Achebe 's classic novel "Things Fall Apart," the development of European colonization 's lead to extreme cultural changes, leaving a lasting impact on the Igbo village of Umofia in West Africa. In the novel, Achebe displays the impacts of European colonization in both critical and sympathetic terms to provide the reader with both positive and negative factors of Imperialism to develop an unbiased understanding of what the Igbo culture and society went through. While addressing the hardship 's of life by showing the deterioration of Okonkwo 's character, the cultural and traditional changes of society, and the positive and negative impacts of imperialism, Achebe keeps touch on the overall theme of the novel, once a dramatic event
An overwhelming majority of African nations has reclaimed their independence from their European mother countries. This did not stop the Europeans from leaving a permanent mark on the continent however. European colonialism has shaped modern-day Africa, a considerable amount for the worse, but also some for the better. Including these positive and negative effects, colonialism has also touched much of Africa’s history and culture especially in recent years.
In a postcolonial analysis of “Anowa”, we can see some evidence of Colonialism. Colonialism is a situation whereby a dominant imperium or center carries on a relationship of control and influence over its colonies (Key Terms in Post-Colonial Theory, n.d.). In this drama, Aidoo does not only tell a disobedient child’s story but she actually reveals a very important historical moment in Ghanaian history through the personal tragedy of Anowa and Kofi Ako. Anowa in this drama represents Africa. Her destruction represents Africa’s fall which was as a result of the actions of...
As with many surface readings I have performed as a student of literature, however, my perspective on The Joys of Motherhood began to evolve. First, I realized and accepted Nnu Ego's failure to react against oppressive forces in order to bring about change for herself and the daughters of Africa; I consoled myself, reasoning that the novel still deserves the feminist label because it calls attention to the plight of the African woman and because its author and protagonist are female. Rereading the novel, however, also triggered the silencing of my initial response. I focused on such passages as the dying wish of Ona, Nnu Ego's mother, who implored Agbadi, Nnu Ego's father, ...