Things Fall Apart Context

Why would Achebe choose to set his novel prior to and during the arrival of the colonial administration as opposed to during the context of production?

Chinua Achebe chooses to set his novel prior to and during the European scramble for Africa, rather than the colonial system falling apart, in which the novel was written in. Overall, he makes this decision to give his book a uniqueness and potential to impact people. In terms of Achebe at the time he wrote it, Nigeria was close to reaching independence. Hence it was fitting for Achebe to write about the time when Nigeria wasn’t necessarily under Colonial rule. As by writing about a time prior to the colonial rule, would justify the progression to independence of Nigeria from Britain. Furthermore, this would establish a Nigerian born media presence in the newly formed country. The next reason for setting the book prior to colonial rule is for Achebe to come to terms with his hybrid identity. Achebe is a proud Christian and Igbo, in his childhood going to missionary church and later in the day listening to stories about his ancestors with his family. Achebe in the pre-colonial setting has the opportunity to explore his hybrid background. He explores the Igbo tradition in the first half of the book and the Christian culture in the second part and writes about the clashing of the two cultures. He never sides with one culture, while showing the positives and negatives of both cultures. The Igbo people with their inhumane beliefs such as the treatment of twins and women, and the Christian missionaries and their forceful placement of their institutions. Lastly and most importantly, this setting allows Achebe to write about the real Africa. Prior to things fall apart practically all English literature about Africa had been written by Europeans, all with the common connotation of Africans being savages. Fueling the justification of the slave trade of Africa. Additionally, it also came with justifying colonization as uplifting and pacification of the savage’s qualities of the Africans. As result Achebe set out to have a more realistic depiction of Africans being “Human”, from an African perspective. As such he set it in a time where the Europeans had painted Igbo culture as savagery. Achebe in response is able to create a story that repaints the connotation of pre-colonial Africans as humans, while showing the richness of the Igbo culture and people. To conclude, Chinua Achebe chooses to set his novel prior to and during the European scramble for Africa. This is done for three reasons: to justify the independence of Nigeria, to explore his hybrid identity of a Christian and Igbo, and to rewrite the connotation of Africans as savages by Europeans.