Achebe tries to establish Africa as “ a land of

culture” in response to western discourse

that Africa is “ Heart of Darkness”
Name: Tanzila Fatima

Roll No: 53

M. Phil English Literature

Institute of Southern Punjab, Multan.
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Abstract

The paper examines two opposing images of African culture presented in both novels: Conrad's
"Heart of Darkness" and Achebe's" Things Fall Apart". Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Achebe's
Things Fall Apart. Heart of Darkness depicts Africans as marginalized, voiceless and primitive,
which is considered by many critics as an indictment of the hypocritical civilizing mission of the
Europeans; whereas Achebe's Things Fall Apart repudiates the cultural assumptions presented by
Conrad and delineates a totally different image of the African society which is aware of its past
history and strives to control its future.
Key words:
Two opposing images of African culture, : Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" and Achebe's" Things
Fall Apart”

Background of the study

The great historical tragedy of Africa from time immemorial to date is the negative image which
imperialists have presented to justify their colonial conquests. Africa is represented in a more
negative manner by Western discourses. To the West Africa is harmful and dangerous to itself.
Africa is said to be not only harmful to itself but it jeopardizes every soul that enters into it.

Ama Biney (2001:15) opines that," Misinformation about Africa has become a growth industry in
the West"

Michira (2002) asserts that “the popular images of Africa in the West include the “dark
continent” characterized by primeval irrationality, tribal anarchy, civil war, political instability,
flagrant corruption, incompetent leadership and managerial ineptitude, hunger, famine and
starvation as well as rampant diseases, especially” AIDS. Africa is seen as a homogenous body
encompassing uncultured and heathen populations who are customarily, mentally, politically and
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pragmatically backward or inferior, who are incapable of governing themselves, or at least

embracing democratic principles of governance. Michira (2002) further posits that African
continent is depicted as the “dependent Africa”, “crisis driven Africa and “hopeless” or “pitiable
Africa”. Without exception, the images have been negative and then sensationalize the “dark”
side of Africa.

Africa; heart of darkness

Many critics claim that Heart of Darkness portrays Africa and its nativesas dark, mysterious and
primitive. Many post-colonial authors, like Achebe, consider this image to be a degrading
attempt toperpetuate that image of the Africans that is projected in the European system of
beliefs. . This mentality is evident in Hugh Trevor-Roper (1914-2003) Oxford historian's
reference to the darkness‘ of the African past, and diminishing the African history. “Perhaps in
the future, there will be some African history to teach. But, at present there is none: there is only
the history of the Europeans in Africa. The rest is darkness….”This reminds us of Conrad‘s
Heart of Darkness which is set in the dense, 'dark' and mysterious jungles surrounding the Congo
River. In his essay published in 1977, "An Image of Africa" Achebe severely criticizes the
assumptions posed by such historians and condemns the portrayal of Africans in Conrad'sHeart
of Darkness. In this essay, Achebe rejects the long held belief of the other critics who label
thenovel as a post-colonial novel because he believes that it presented an image of Africa that
was existent in the Western imagination. Conrad, he says, is a "thoroughgoing racist who ignores
the cultural achievements of Africans and represents them not as people, but as 'limbs and rolling
eyes' refusing even to confer language upon them".
Achebe in his essay An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness states “Heart of
Darkness projects the image of Africa as ‘the other world’, the antithesis of Europe and therefore
of civilization.”
Achebe presents the following passage as one of the examples of such racist and degrading
portrayal, where Conrad gives the reader one of his rare descriptions of an African who is
presented as:

. the savage who was fireman. He was an improved specimen; …. He was there below me and,
upon my word, to look at him was as edifying as seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a
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feather hat walking on his hind legs. A few months of training had done for that really fine chap
(HOD 43).
In this context the African firemanis referred to as a "savage" a "dog in a parody of breeches and
a feather hat" who is "walking on his hind legs" a description that Achebe finds insulting.
Indeed, racial prejudice is clearly evident when Marlow describes the natives as, “Black shapes
crouched, lay, sat between the trees, leaning against the trunks, clinging to the earth…in all
attitudes of pain, abandonment, and despair…they were nothing earthly now, nothing but black
shadows of disease and starvation…One of these creatures rose to his hands and knees and went
off on all fours towards the river to drink.” (Conrad 17) Marlow’s description of Africans as
“Black shapes”, “black shadows”, and “creatures” is closer to that of an animal without any
human characteristic and is degrading. Marlow further belittles the natives as prehistoric and
simple. “The prehistoric man was cursing us, praying to us, welcoming us- who could tell?” (35)
Marlow considers the natives to be so primitive that he denies them language, “who could tell?”
instead of trying to understand the meaning. Through most of the novel the natives are portrayed
as being who are incapable of sensible speech: “In place of speech they made ‘a violent babble
of uncouth sounds.’” (Achebe, An Image of Africa 341) The omission of the language of the
natives suggests that they were not considered sophisticated enough by the Europeans to use
Standard English. Peter Childs in his Introduction to Heart of Darkness points out that in the
novella “there is an implicit assumption throughout the narrative that Europeans and their culture
are of more human importance and psychological interest than Africans and theirs.” Like the
Africans, Marlow gives a very grim and dark picture of the African continent. He says the banks
of the Congo River are “rotting into mud, whose waters, thickened into slime, invaded by the
contorted mangroves that seemed to writhe at us in the extremity of an impotent despair.”
(Conrad 14). The description of the river as “rotting” coincides with the description of the
natives as “black shadows of disease”. Marlow creates the stereotypical image of Africa as being
in a constantly wild and deplorable state. Robert Hampson rightfully says in his essay Heart of
Darkness and “The Speech that Cannot be Silenced” that European writing denies adequate
representation of African culture and history and Heart of Darkness does nothing to remedy this.
He argues however, that Heart of Darkness does not offer a representation of Africa but rather a
“representation of representations” of Africa.
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Africa; a land of culture

In response to the European’s stereotypical depiction of Africans, Chinua Achebe wrote Things
Fall Apart which portrays Africans in a structured and civilized society. Through the novel, he
shows that Africa is not a silent, dark and incomprehensible continent the Europeans made it out
to be. Using Nigerian vocabulary, proverbs and stories, he conveys the fact that the language is
too complex to be translated. The use of native African language is a sign of his rebellion against
the European colonizers. Unlike other writers who sought to revitalize the native African culture
through resistance of English language, Achebe uses English, the language of the colonizer, to
“write back” to the colonizer.
Achebe breaks the European stereotyping of Africa as a cultureless and uncivilized nation by
giving elaborate and detailed descriptions of the Umuofian customs and tradition along with their
own justice system which existed prior to the arrival of the colonizer. Even the structure of the
novel reflects the author’s intent in marginalizing the colonizer. The novel is divided into three
parts. The first part is longest, the second is slightly shorter, and the third is the shortest. Since
the novel primarily focuses on the Umuofia tribe, with the arrival of the colonizers, its focus
gradually shifts from the flourishing native culture to the ultimate destruction of the tribal
system.

Achebe admires the democratic government in Igbo culture

Democracy is a system of government in which power is vested in the people, who rule directly
or through freely elected representatives. Achebe presents the Igbo society that has a democratic
system of government. For instance, before important decisions are taken, the elders or
“Ndichie” and others gather together at the village square or Ilo or at the market place to take
decisions that affect the people or individuals.The community is in control and the collective will
and decision of the members of the community prevail. This is what obtains in a democratic
dispensation.
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This is seen in chapter 1, P.9, where the people were informed that a daughter of Umuofia was
killed in Mbaino. Collectively the people agreed that Umuofia should follow the law and going
to war with Umuofia or offering Umuofia a young man and a young Virgin as compensation for
the death of the daughter of Umuofia. “ Many other spoke and at the end it was decided to follow
the normal course of action”

Achebe describes the Efficient System of Justice in his Igbo culture

justice is another feature of democracy. Justice is the legal or philosophical theory by which
fairness is administered. Achebe’ s Igbo system adopts an effective and efficient system of
justice. This makes Igbo systemnoble. Disputes in the community are presented to the elders or
the egwugwu, the greatest and respected masked spirits of the land, which is played by the titled
men of the clan. This is the tribunal who takes decisions after hearing from the both sides. This is
observed in chapter ten of Things Fall Apart, where the village holds a ceremonial gathering to
administer justice. The village ancestral spirits, known as egwugwu are presented withthe case of
Uzowulu, who reports that his in-laws took his wife Mgbafor and therefore, request the return of
her bride price to him. Odukwe ,Mgbafor’s brother clarifies that his family took Mgbafor to
rescue her from daily brutal beatings by Uzowulu, her husband. He maintains that his sister will
return to her husband only if he swears never to beat her again. The egwugwu consult and their
leader, the Evil Forest, gave a verdict, that Uzowulu takes wine to his in-laws and begs his wife
to come back home. He reminds Uzowulu “ Fighting a woman is not braver. It is not bravery
when a man fights a woman. Odukwu is also instructed to accept his brother-in-

law’s offer and Mgbafor returns to her husband. To Uzowulu . Go To your in-laws with a pot of
wine and beg your wife to return to you.” (75)

Dignity and respect for life in Achebe’s society

The Igbo society has respect and right to life. Thus, a man has an unassailable right to his or her
life. They believe that life is awesome. Consequently, killing members of one’s own clan or
taking one’s own life is forbidden, even if advertently done. This is why Obuefi Ezeudu warns
Okonkwo not to kill Ikemefuna and even when Okonkwo kills Ichie Ezeudu’s son
unknowingly, Okonkwo was sent on exile. Thus, Obierika sees Okonkwo killing of Ikemefuna as
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a crime against the Earth. It is the kind of action for which the goddess wipes out whole families
…but of Oracle said that my Son should be killed I neither would neither dispute it nor be the
one to do it. (P. 53)
Marriage and love in Achebe’s society

It was always said that Ndulue and Ozoemena has one mind. I remember when I was a young
boythere was a song about them. He could do nothing without telling her. (P. 54)But
temperamental ones like Okonkwo describes such tolerant and noble men like Ndulue as “weak”
didn’t know that, said Okonkwo. I thought he was a strong man in his youth (P. 54).
Consequently, Okonkwo’s family is in turmoil. He is harsh with his wives and children and even
kills Ikemefuna because he is afraid of being thought weak like his father and his harshness
becomes sacrilegious because he could not even keep the law of the land that forbids him from
beating his wife on the eve of the Peace Week

Okonkwo’s destruction in the end therefore comes as a result of no peace, love and
harmony around him and in him; all culminating in hanging himself .Though, this came as a
result of the unjust system of the white men. Okonkwo takes the blame partly because of his
defiance of the laws of the clan (William, 1977).A man who loves himself and his family looks
before he leaps.

Among the Igbo, the art of conversation is regarded highly

language is a very important part of Igbo culture and it is highly stylized by the use offanciful
and didactic proverbs so that points are made without inflicting pains on the listeners during
conversations. This is why Achebe says that “proverbs are the palm oil with which words are
eaten. This implies that proverbs though highly symbolic, are the only strong weapon of
impressing words into the minds of individuals. So, proverbs are matchboxes used to ignite
words or conversations because they imbibe some truth.As a result, the Igbo use their proverbs to
teach industry and hard work when they say;If a Child washed his hands, he could eat with
Kings. Okonkwo had clearly washed his hands and heate with Kings and Elders. (P. 7)
This proverb reiterates the importance and dignity of labor (hard work). So, the Igbo recognizes
that though hard work even a person from a poor background like Okonkwo can overcome his
father’s laziness tomake himself “one of the greatest men of his time ”(P. 7). This concurs with
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the words of Shakespeare in his “Twelfth Night” Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born
great, some achieve greatness. And others have greatness thrust upon them Okonkwo did not
have greatness trusted on him but achieved greatness through hard work. This is what the Igbo
society expects from her citizenry. Again, instead of Unoka to say he would not pay him his
debt, Unoka dismisses Okoye subtly by saying Our elders say that the sun will shine on those
who stand before it shines on those who kneel underthem. (P.6)This means that Unoka will pay
his large debts before his small ones. So proverbs are also used to teach and establish morality
which is the hallmark of the Igbo society.Though, the Igbo respect industry and success they will
not tolerate proud men like Okonkwo when they say:

Looking at a Kings mouth, one would think he never suckled from him mother’s breast

. (P. 21) Again, to repulse pride, the Igbo use this proverb. Those whose palm kernels
were cracked for them by a benevolent spirit should not forget to be humbled(P. 21)These
proverbs are meted at Okonkwo when he describes a man who contradicts him at a
meeting because he had no title. Okonkwo accepted them and apologizes to them. So, the Igbo a
ccept humility and frown at arrogance.

Achebe's language is very simple and completely different from that of Conrad, and the reader
does not find any trace of that 'hazy', 'misty' and 'mysterious' Africa, instead the image is full of
life and colour.This sense is clearly conveyed in simple adjectives such as 'brown', 'evergreen',
'dusty', and 'thirsty', and the lively atmosphere is presented by terms such as'panting', 'vibrating',
'heat', 'flying' etc.

While the novel succeeds in shattering the stereotypes, to a certain extent it supports the
European’s view of Africans as violent and savage. Okonkwo strictly adheres to masculine
values and suppresses his feminine side because he considers it unmanly to demonstrate love and
affection. The fact that Okonkwo is punished for beating his wife during Umuofia’s Week of
Peace: “Okonkwo was not the man to stop beating somebody half-way through, not even for fear
of a goddess… It was unheard of to beat somebody during the sacred week” (Achebe, Things
Fall Apart 19) suggests that the practice of beating wives and children was fairly common in
Umuofia but extreme violence was not tolerated which is why Okonkwo is exiled when he
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accidentally shoots a man. From the European perspective, this lack of self-control is one of the
qualities that makes someone savage. Another instance is when Okonkwo kills Ikemefuna
despite being warned not to. Though Ikemefuna considered Okonkwo to be a father figure,
Okonkwo is forced by his own masculinity to deliver the fatal blow because he is “afraid of
being thought weak” (38).

Bibliography
www.academia.edu/36826369/African_Culture_in_Achebes_Things_Fall_Apart_a_Stylistic_Inquiryo

//www.academia.edu/19939819/Comparative_Study_of_Achebes_Heart_of_Darkness_and_Things_Fall
_Apart

https://www.academia.edu/11326448/CONTRASTING_IMAGES_OF_AFRICA_IN_CONRADS_HEART_OF_
DARKNESS_AND_ACHEBES_THINGS_FALL_APART

https://journal-archieves35.webs.com/710-726.pdf
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