The book Segu is about telling the story of Africa as if it was a person wanting an autobiography done before its life is over. The history of Africa during the 18th and 19th century was a really vague topic for me to understand. After reading Segu by Maryse Condé my thinking of this period was made clear by the personal experiences of the Traoré family sons. What I came to understand is this book deceitfully explains the decline of West African countries in the eyes and personal struggles of the Bambara people of Segu. In this case it’s the focus on the travels of the four sons of Dousika Traoré. Tiekoro, Siga, Naba, and Malobali all summoned on personal journeys that gave me a better understanding of what actually happened during the 18th and 19th century time period of people who actually experienced it. Some major themes I picked out while reading is the expansion/spread of the Islamic religion being leaked into African countries, and the Atlantic Slave trade happening in them as well. The spread of Islam from the east extended into the Sahel, into the ear and converted the eldest son Tiekoro’s accustomed beliefs. The conflict that arouses with this is family members have to decide whether or not to convert to Islam or stick with Segu’s customary animist beliefs. This societal and cultural change gives these sons new identities as they moved to different communities. Siga is the complete opposite of his brother Tiekoro’s new belief and doesn’t want any part of it. I feel as if these two brothers represent the struggle many faced in Segu. It was just cool to see this theme being seed on both ends of the spectrum but also because they are brothers. Of the next two brothers Naba and Malobali were captured by slave traders just ... ... middle of paper ... ...f their god Allah was destroying the other traditional Gods whom some of Bambara people had believed and some who continued believing in them. This new god Allah was more powerful than them. After all these tragic events not only in the Traore family but also in Segu there was one thing to be noted that every person had the right to practice his or her own religion and the war that took place between El-Hadj Omar and the Fulanis of Mecina and Segu was not a war of religion but a war to gain personal pride. “War is good because it makes our kings rich. Wives, slaves, cattle- it brings them all these. War is holy because it makes us muslims. War is holy and good so may it set our skies aflame.”(490) Works Cited (2005, 04). Conflicts in the Novel "Segu". StudyMode.com. Retrieved 04, 2005, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Conflicts-In-The-Novel-Segu-53888.html
Even though, the subject matter of family and religion plays a huge role in the story, they wouldn’t have been as immense if other themes such as migration, labor, colonialism, and commerce weren’t offered as well. In Segu, Maryse Conde represents imperialist aggression and the European colonization of Africa through the tale of a kingdom. Through the pretense of Europe’s greed, and the religions of Christianity and Islam, came Segu’s downfall. What happens to the Bambara family in Segu is the depiction of the changing lives of Africans nationwide. How the people of Africa confronted the change is symbolized by the three sons of a compound ruler. Yet, in part from the misfortunes that are depicted, there lies an appealing story about religion, diversity, and culture in the motherland.
All in all, this short selection of Usama’s writings does much to further the understanding of the effects on the crusades on many Muslims during this period, though since this was written by an affluent elite it does not describe much of the general populous’ experience. It also provides a good overview of the interactions between Muslims themselves. This was a time fraught with danger and division but Usama’s work shows that a common thread kept many together and preserved a civilization that still exists to this very day.
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...
Using specific illustrations from Maryse Conde's novel Segu, this is an essay that discusses how the coming of Islam to Bambar society affected that people's traditional, political, social and economic practices as well as challenging the Bambaras' religious beliefs.
“Segu is a garden where cunning grows. Segu is built on treachery. Speak of Segu outside Segu, but do not speak of Segu in Segu” (Conde 3). These are the symbolic opening words to the novel Segu by Maryse Conde. The kingdom of Segu in the eighteenth and nineteenth century represents the rise and fall of many kingdoms in the pre-colonial Africa. Therefore, Segu indirectly represents the enduring struggles, triumphs, and defeats of people who are of African decent in numerous countries around the world. There are three major historical concepts that are the focus of this book. One is the spread of the Islamic religion. Another is the slave trade, and the last is the new trade in the nineteenth century and the coming of new ideas from Europe (legitimate commerce). However, Segu does not simply explain these circumstances externally, but rather with a re-enactment that tells a story of the state of affairs on a personal level, along with the political one. By doing this, the book actually unfolds many deceitful explanations for the decline of West African countries in the eighteenth and nineteenth century.
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.
Violent Jihad as a struggle against one’s enemies has its root in [these] situations. When the Islamic religion spread over the region, Jihad became a religious tenet and assumed the form of a peaceful, internal struggle to strive for the good and reject the evil in one’s action. Violent, external conflict was never r...
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, three of the world’s great religions, have their roots as well their “holiest places” in the Middle East. All three religions revere Abraham as a common ancestor. Yet all three have had bloody interchanges throughout history. How and why did Abraham’s children become such a dysfunctional family? Where is God in this “family feud?” Finding answers to these theological questions that could help provide a peaceful future are important for all. Conflicts surrounding this “family of God” involve more people and places than were involved even 50 years ago. For example, currently there are more Muslims living in the United States than Methodists (Geisler and Saleeb, 2001).1
Since this paper is my reflection, I will be honest by stating that I am nineteen years old, white, a male, and have been raised in a Catholic family just outside of Louisville, Kentucky. Now why is this important? This is important because the only viewpoint of the crusades that I have studied, prior to my experience with Maalouf, has been from the Christian point of view. Until now, I have yet to place myself in the shoes of those on the opposite end of the sword, shields, and Jihad. History is a touchy subject for me because I have come to learn there is always another side of the story to learn from. This fact leads to the first main thesis of Maalouf’s adventure.
Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, is certainly the world’s most widely read African novel; it focuses on the life of Okonkwo a respected male in the early 1800’s in the Umuofia tribe of the Igbo people. Things Fall Apart, has gained much acknowledgment and recognition by virtue of its unique portrayal of life in the early 1800’s in colonial Africa. It has sparked controversy and debate between scholars; as a result of it being written by an African in 1958, this type of writing had never been seen before. This particular controversy was actually what Chinua Achebe, a celebrated 20th century Nigerian novelist was anticipating, when he composed Things Fall Apart, to describe Nigerian culture and the clash between indigenous African cultures with the traditional European culture.
Tariq Ali uniquely puts into perspective the horrific tragedies behind the Spanish reconquest in his work, Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree, by capturing the history in the perspective of a Muslim family who lived in a village just outside of recently conquered Granada. He does this in order to expose the cruelty and intolerance of the Archbishop Xemenes de Cineros. Ali also uncovers the faults in not only Christianity, but also in Islamic ideology by having many character’s from the family Banu Hudayl debating and questioning Islamic beliefs which may parallel with the author’s own beliefs, or lack thereof. (Tariq) One of Ali’s strongest focuses however, was to expose the lack of urgency many Muslims felt after the fall of Granada. Many Muslim’s
There is no doubt that European colonialism has left a grave impact on Africa. Many of Africa’s current and recent issues can trace their roots back to the poor decisions made during the European colonial era. Some good has resulted however, like modern medicine, education, and infrastructure. Africa’s history and culture have also been transformed. It will take many years for the scars left by colonization to fade, but some things may never truly disappear. The fate of the continent may be unclear, but its past provides us with information on why the present is the way it is.
Each step he takes, waves of guilt, desperation, and despair crash upon him, making each step heavier than the last. As a little ruffian running around with his brother to play cricket, escaping the airport guards, all these images flash before him, splaying out his entire life, making him realise he has spent his entire life, every minute of it with his brother. Even liking the same book, The Three Musketeers, and ultimately being known as Athos and Porthos, happy memories of their child hood surface within him. Yet right now, there he is, his little brother, Jamal, walking to what he thought was an audition for his singing skills and here, is the caring mature brother guiding his brother into the arms of Maman. Yet, unbeknownst to the younger brother, the end of the path to Maman also signifies the end to his eyesight. Though this is clearly known to Salim, thoughts on his future with wealth, women and power kept him leading his brother to a blind future. Selfish, to sacrifice is brother for such measly wants, yet it is human nature to brush aside moral and ethical concepts and r...
Works of Fiction are very valuable in the study of the African Igbo history since they help us learn more about the different aspects of culture in their society. These aspects are what make every culture different and unique. Some examples include women’s role in the society, the significance of the Igbo cultural beliefs, and the importance of friends and family to the people who live there. Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, is a very well-written book which lets readers know more about the African culture. Achebe wrote it because he believed that “today, things have changed a lot, but it would be foolish to pretend that we have fully recovered from the traumatic effects of our first confrontation with Europe”(The Novelist as a Teacher
Having done the above analysis on my favourite text, “Anowa” by Ama Ataa Aidoo, I realise that my like for the text have heightened because the analysis of Anowa has given me a deeper understanding of Africa’s colonialism. I now know what actually led to our colonialisation (the betrayal) and how it began(the bond of 1844) through the personal lives of Anowa and Kofi.