Colonialism In God's Bits Of Wood By Chinua Achebe

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Recommended: The influence of colonialism in Africa

Joseph Lizama
History 39
Prof. Petrocelli
May 19, 2014
West African Colonialism
In the novels God’s Bits of Wood by Ousmane Sembène and No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe both authors illustrate a colonial lifestyle, one from a rural French point of view and the other from an English-educated perspective; respectively. West Africa was primarily colonized by the French, however there was still territory owned by the British such as Nigeria, Gold Coast, and Sierra Leone. Colonization in Africa –– specifically West Africa –– aimed to dominate and exploit certain groups of Africans confined by arbitrary borders that were established by European colonizers. The French and the British had their own means of colonizing which ultimately means two ways of decolonization. In one hand the French always made their presence felt, while in the other Britain always stayed behind the scenes, ruling indirectly. In each novel, it is clear that colonialism forces the likes of Obi Okonkwo and the workmen of the railroads to choose between tradition and change, creating consequences that continue to be relevant to this date.
The difference in colonial rule between the French and British is obvious, but they have the same objective and that is to exploit and dominate Africa. In the novel God’s Bits of Wood, French West African workers are planning to go on strike, but Niakoro was against it because she had seen a strike herself and there was not a great outcome. “You have never seen a strike! Your ‘little father’ saw one… Soldiers will come and there will be shooting” (Sembene 1986, 5). It is evident that the French oppressor does not care about workers rights as long as they get what they want. As the colonizer, the French are only interested in the...

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...es not mean every African had the same colonial experience. Additionally, these are only from the viewpoint of a victim of colonization so it will be biased and could contain exaggerated or even inaccurate details.
Africa would not be what it is today if it was not for colonization. The map would not even be the same because the borders were only arbitrary and would naturally make no sense to the Africans. African principles would still be intact throughout Africa including the beliefs of land ownership. In consequence however, the English language along with the French language, would not be as stapled into the culture as it is now. They way Africans live has been altered and will not be the same for an indefinite amount of time. To this date, Africa has still to recover from damaged cause by the colonization era and will continue to deal with the repercussions.

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