Note #19
Chinua Achebe Interview
The interview with Chinua Achebe showcases the inconspicuous nature of African culture. After having been colonized for centuries and being subdued, African culture was never brought into the limelight. The lack of popularization, in companion with hegemonic forces, led to the propagation of a single story. A single story that paints an incomplete and overly negative image of Africa.
The media's representation of a dynamic and diverse culture is compressed into a one-dimensional depiction that develops a linear train of thought in the audience. The existence of a single story devalues the culture and robs the people of their dignity. There is a need for a more balanced depiction, one that does not indulge in superfluous publicity of the negative aspects.
The abolition of a single story provides the opening to a new realm of perception. Things Fall Apart marks a milestone in terms of African literature as it constructed an entirely new identity for Africa, one that had been long overdue. As the book is heavily reliant on the context of composition, it is necessary of the audience to be informed about its background.
The most memorable quote, in my opinion, was "...to give you just one example, the whole class of a girls' college in South Korea wrote to me, and each one expressed an opinion about the book. And then I learned something, which was that they had a history that was similar to the story of Things Fall Apart - the history of colonization." It is evident from this quote how Things Fall Apart broke multiple barriers in post-colonial literature and became a point of relatability for other communities who had been victimized by colonialism.
Chinua Achebe Interview
The interview with Chinua Achebe showcases the inconspicuous nature of African culture. After having been colonized for centuries and being subdued, African culture was never brought into the limelight. The lack of popularization, in companion with hegemonic forces, led to the propagation of a single story. A single story that paints an incomplete and overly negative image of Africa.
The media's representation of a dynamic and diverse culture is compressed into a one-dimensional depiction that develops a linear train of thought in the audience. The existence of a single story devalues the culture and robs the people of their dignity. There is a need for a more balanced depiction, one that does not indulge in superfluous publicity of the negative aspects.
The abolition of a single story provides the opening to a new realm of perception. Things Fall Apart marks a milestone in terms of African literature as it constructed an entirely new identity for Africa, one that had been long overdue. As the book is heavily reliant on the context of composition, it is necessary of the audience to be informed about its background.
The most memorable quote, in my opinion, was "...to give you just one example, the whole class of a girls' college in South Korea wrote to me, and each one expressed an opinion about the book. And then I learned something, which was that they had a history that was similar to the story of Things Fall Apart - the history of colonization." It is evident from this quote how Things Fall Apart broke multiple barriers in post-colonial literature and became a point of relatability for other communities who had been victimized by colonialism.
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