THE DECLINE OF IGBO CULTURE IN CHINUA ACHEBE’S THINGS FALL APART: A LITERARY PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart mirrors the Igbo ethnic group in South Eastern part of Nigeria and her culture in pre-colonial and colonial eras. This novel comes as a response to the negative depiction of Africans as savages, brutes, uncivilized and without culture by some European writers. Through the portrayal of Igbo culture, Achebe depicts Africans as people with established religious, judicial, political and economic systems. Before the coming of the colonialists, Africans already have set of rules and regulations that guide certain conducts in their society. From the novel, one observes that the justice system via the masquerade (Egwugwu) is much similar to the present day “Supreme Court” and its verdict is final. Also, issues affecting the entire community are discussed by all adult male children and decisions taken are implemented accordingly; religious functions are well defined and each deity worshiped has a priest that oversees the affairs of its worship and the economy of the people is hinged on agriculture. This paper discusses how these established culture and way of life declined following the British colonial incursion into the hinter land of Africa. This research is qualitative, permitting a postcolonial theoretical analysis of the text under study. It concludes on the note that Igbo culture has a long history but that culture is weakened by Western influences which may strangulate it as those meant to preserve it are attracted to the culture of their new found masters- the colonialists.