Katiana Bimshas

Critical Lens Essay - Homegoing

Colonialism is present all throughout Homegoing, a book that begins when Europeans

began to colonize Africa. In the span of the novel, colonialism negatively affects the characters,

such as being biracial (55-56), changes African culture, such as their language and beliefs, and

shifts the way they behave, like inciting tribal wars and encouraging slave trading.

One of the characters, Quey, is born to Fante woman and a British colonizer. Because of

his mixed race and his lighter skin, Quey feels like he doesnt belong, he could not fully claim

either half of himself (Gyasi 56). His son, James, is condemned by his village because he has

white blood running through him; they believe hes unlucky and cursed. Because of their white

blood, they felt unwelcomed and unwanted at times, however, because of their white blood and

their hand in slave trading, they are a powerful family.

Throughout the novel the British begin to colonize Africa and after they no longer profit

from slave trading, they start to settle down. Although there is hostility between the natives and

the colonizers, for instance they burned a white man for being white, there is a shift in their

language and beliefs. Churches start popping up and the children are taught English in school.

The churches encouraged Christianity and believing in God. The Missionary, who raised one of

the characters, Akua, constantly tells her shes a sinner, that she must believe in God. He thinks,

all people on the black continent must give up their heathenism and turn to God. Be thankful

that the British are here to show you how to live a good and moral life (Gyasi 184). In his eyes

the British are right and know how to live the best life while following God. He believes they

should give up all their old customs and put their faith in God. The Missionary shows his distaste
for the fetish man who is described as someone who had not given up praying to the ancestors

or dancing or collecting plants and rocks and bones and blood with which to make his fetish

offerings. H had not been baptized (Gyasi 181). In short, he held onto ancient traditions and

customs and he was shunned for that, he was wicked. In schools they only teach English, for

convenience mostly. Yaw, a history teacher, tries argue about teaching regional tongues but was

laughed off, theres too many languages. Yaw is all about independence and freedom from

Britain, he doesnt want to further his schooling in England or America because, if we go to the

white man for school, we will just learn the way the white man wants us to learn. We will come

back and build the country the white man wants us to build. One that continues to serve them.

We will never be free (Gyasi 223). Yaw does not want what the white man is offering, he wants

the Asante to be on their own, to be independent.

Inciting tribe wars - pg. 89

Turning villages into slave trading, wanting to take the land - 93

Fetish man - pg 181

Golden stool - pg 182

Missionary - 184, 186

223