Ec-2, 4th final essay May 22, 2021

Daliev

Alim Daliev
Mary Conde
EC-2, 4th final essay
May 22, 2021
Colonization and Its Effect Based on African Culture
It is an irrefutable fact that the main destabilizing factor of the earth occurred due to the reoccupation of new lands by white people. This process was accomplished by relying on the technological and cultural superiority of “elite” layers of society compared to the backward cultures throughout the world. The example of such a colonization activity and its effects were mentioned by many writers who focused on the “colonization” topic for many centuries. The paradigm of such literature is reckoned to be the textbook “Things fall apart”, written by Chinua Achebe. Hence it should be stated that the main topic of this paper is considered to be narrating the pre and post-colonial life of Igbo culture where many things fall apart due to British colonialism. Therefore, this research paper will analyze in detail various studies, anecdotes, and articles of many scholars in order to find an answer to the main question to what extent European culture and Christian missionaries affected the aboriginal life of Africa; based on the changes which took place in Igbo culture.
At first glance, it is really hard to understand the main reason why British colonizers started to occupy new territories of Africa. It is widely believed that the main reason for colonialism was considered to be the desire of British authority to be at the height of their power and to achieve the wellbeing of their society. Nevertheless, according to Rasib Mehmood, “the aim of British colonizers was reckoned to be transforming the worldview of backward Africans into something similar to the European view of the world” (Mehmood 26). Indeed, the white people literally undertook an immense number of measurements to change the beliefs of backward African cultures. So as a result of effective accomplishments, European colonizers successfully made African residents to give up their unique traditions and cultures by introducing new religion, education, and medicine. Unfortunately, those who could not physiologically and physically overcome the changes brought by colonialism were mostly killed by white people or committed suicide by their own will such as the Okonkwo, the main hero of the textbook “Things fall apart”. Hence, let’s ponder over the steps undertaken by British colonizers which became the main reason for the dynamic alterations in Igbo culture.
The first step of colonizers was considered to be introducing a new religion to native African citizens in order to control their minds and actions as a whole. In the 16th chapter of “Things fall apart”, Chinua Achebe writes about the new Christian Church built by British Missioners (78). The main reason for building the church was reckoned to be converting Umuofian citizens to Christianity with the help of missionaries. It was highly expected that the colonizer's first step would be introducing their own religion since every religion plays a crucial role in terms of maintaining the nation, culture, and traditions into one unity. By collapsing the African religion, colonizers could totally control their way of thinking by normalizing the European standard of living for backward African citizens. So, the thoughts and emotions of Igbo citizens could be easily regulated by missionaries over a small period of time. Apart from that, new reconstructions and good changes in the Umuofia village served as a good reason why people started converting to Christianity. On the other hand, the people who were living in Igbo culture have not an appropriate faith in any God unlike the belief in three Monotheistic religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; so it was not actually hard for Christian missioners to use the religion as a tool of controlling their minds. Moreover, Chinua Achebe states that “Missioners promised to bring them iron horses if they turn against their wrong ways and start to believe in the existence of One God (86). It is clear that British missionaries utilized an immense number of ways to make brainwashing activities, as they promised them to bring the last century's innovation, the bicycle, to ignorant people. It was the action accomplished in order to show the loyalty of British missionaries to Africans, so they could believe and obey whatever they would say to them.
After a small period of time, the fact that British missionaries had two faces was revealed. By putting their masks on, they were accomplishing the most fruitful strategy which is considered to be converting more and more Umofian clan members to Christianity. After that, colonizers started to broaden their perspectives by dividing African citizens into two different groups. The first ones were reckoned to be new followers of Christianity, whether the second group consisted of the people who could not accept the new religion and staunch to their previous polytheistic religion such as Okonkwo. In the 16th chapter of the textbook ‘Things fall apart, the Chinua Achebe described the moment when “Oknokwo’s son was converting to a new religion by driving apart from his father and joining the British missioners”(93). The strategy of white men was so undoubtedly well-thought since as a result of dividing the people they achieved the collapse within the clan. Two groups were fighting with each other in order to protect their own beliefs. Therefore, it can be clearly seen that religion is considered to be the most powerful weapon in terms of brainwashing innocent individuals who are not aware of the reality; that religion is nothing more than a political strategy to manipulate all citizens. According to Dwayne, “implementation of such a religious strategy into realization is considered to be the most cunning act of treachery”(128). Indeed, accomplishing the act of mental manipulation is considered to be the most effective weapon of all times since for the religion and the sake of God everyone is ready to do anything required. Apart from that, if British colonizers utilized the rigid method of occupation, the native citizens could start a big war against colonizers. Nevertheless, smart white people used the way of introducing the new religion with the help of which they could accomplish physical and mental colonization at the same time, while innocent aborigines did not understand their plans and became the puppies at the hands of British colonization.
According to Barbour, “religion actually contradicts science, since they are totally unrelated things”(1997). The thing that missioners are usually saying is that they were sent by the wish of God in order to show the right path for innocent people in terms of civilizing them, whether the science is actually leading individuals to totally different ways of rational thinking and aspie individuals to achieve harmony on Earth. By that, it is clear that education and science are reckoned to be the truest way of living, while religion is considered to be the political tool that contributes as an obstacle for everyone to think independently. So, white people were so clever, so they put a knife to the African’s aboriginal religion which once united the Umuofian citizens as one clan. Overall, it was the first step undertaken by British colonizers to control the people of Umuofia.
Besides the differences in terms of traditions and worldview, the colonizers and colonized people have various views about the effects of the occupation of lands by European people. From the point of view of African people, whites literally eradicated everything which was the norm of living in that land; their national consciousness was lost and their culture faces a collapse (Fanon 1964). Whether the European individuals represent the second side of the colonial coin which is considered to be the claim that colonization is a normal thing for uneducated layers of society to be educated. As it is clear here, postcolonial people had totally different opinions about colonialism compared to the European colonizers.
Let’s continue with the question of what Chinua Achebe wanted to tell the readers in the textbook “Things fall apart”. The first message that the writer tried to tell the readers from all around the world is considered to be an amazing historical heritage of African cultures, their traditions, language, and uniqueness. Secondly, she wanted to narrate how colonial forces fatally eradicated the living standards of African people by changing their world outlook and religion. It should be highlighted that Chinua Achebe loved her African culture by advocating it throughout her writings. As it can be seen, he mostly was dedicated to writing about their well-organized society, distinctive polytheistic religion as well as unique customs. Apart from that, he has not left uncovered the terrible outcomes in the Igbo culture which occurred due to the British colonization. The work of Chinua Achebe has the potential to be a great source for other research paper writers since nobody knows what kind of secrets it keeps within it.
The second step undertaken by British colonizers is considered to be the physical colonization of Igbo culture. After introducing the culture of the Umofian people, the writer, Chinua Achebe is starting to narrate the moments related to the appearance of white people within the Umuofia. He stated that “at the end of the spring when everything was planted a European people started to emerge as locusts from nowhere”( Achieve 95). So, the writer wanted to hint here that white men have some reasons to come to their land which is mainly reckoned to be colonization. Perhaps, the writers are not obviously saying that their purpose is considered to be the occupation of African lands, but the word locusts were literally utilized to represent the aims of white men. So, the writer utilized an allegory of locusts who are considered to be the eradication of everything in their paths. So, all in all, the British colonizer’s actions lead to the total control of Igbo culture by governing everything at that place. The relationship between colonizers and natives was not good since native black people became literally the slaves which were obeying white men. British colonizers utilized pre-colonial people as a tool of communication with other African cultures. Sometimes, natives were translating the missioner’s sentences about religion and good deeds. Before the presence of white people, all Africans lived in a sense of peace and had their own rights to think by themselves. On the other hand, Chinua Achebe describes not only the dark sides of colonialism but as well as good sides of it. The writer states that “after colonization, most of the African people, especially women, achieved justice within the clan”(Achebe 123). At the end of her textbook, mainly in the twenty-fourth chapter, Chinua Achebe describes the death of a British messenger who was killed by Okonkwo. It was quite an unexpected circumstance that has not happened never in African culture.
The third step which was undertaken by European colonizers is reckoned to be cultural colonization. Actually, culture is the thing that unites individuals with each other. People usually learn their culture from their family members, from teachers but as well as from the internet in our present days. In the textbook ‘“Things fall apart”, the white people knew about human psychology, so they started to promote their own ideology to black people by telling them religious stories in order to change their minds. Firstly, black individuals started to learn the language of whites since it was paramount for them to understand their speech. Then, after learning the foreign language, native Africans started to read an immense number of books which entirely altered their imagination about the world as a whole. This process led to the predicted outcome which is reckoned to be the loss of the cultural identity of African aborigines. Most of those who lost their cultural identity were young people who are from nature very sensitive in terms of receiving a piece of new information. The African youth started to live according to the rules which were driven by colonizers since the young generation pondered the way of European people as the most correct and appropriate via. The establishment of new realities for African people served as proof that their previous life was full of uncivilization and ignorance. White people were strongly suggesting to give up their previous traditions and customs because it contradicts the new religion, Christianity. As a result of giving up their previous traditions, they lost everything which united them with their previous generations for a long period of time. It became a normal consequence when powerful countries are occupying less powerful ones literally by making them real slaves. Nevertheless, such accomplishments should not be considered as normality, but instead, these actions should be condemned by every single person.
On the other hand, the changes brought by whites were actually satisfactory for African people. In the first days, they were just amazed by looking at the technological advances and scientific discoveries which were totally uncommon things for all of them. Moreover, white people introduced totally new methods of medicine and different ways of taking care of the patients. Nevertheless, some ignorant people did not want to accept these modifications and refused to help the ones who were occupying their lands. But, some Africans liked to work at the hands of British colonizers since they were provided with new-fashioned clothes, high-quality food, and at the same time they earned a good amount of money. Before colonization, African people’s living standards were really terrible and they lived in poverty without eating for many days even a piece of bread. They were hungry and starving in Africa, so the new job opportunities as slaves were somehow satisfactory for them. Along with new job opportunities and technological advances, British colonizers brought a better educational system for backward Africans who even could not read and write at that time. Most Africans were actually happy because of the window of opportunities created for them and for their future generations in terms of education, medicine, and technology, by British colonizers. All in all, African culture was totally modified and became more civilized than before.
Taking mentioned everything into consideration, it should be concluded that colonization of African cultures brought both negative and positive outcomes. Nevertheless, the actions of colonizers which became the main reason why African people lost their national and cultural identity should be always condemned. Europeans literally made black people to be considered slaves for many centuries. They were manipulated by missioners who were actually lying about the existence of God. This research paper focused on analyzing the steps and effects of colonialism in the life of one of the African cultures.