There are many stereotypes about Africa such as wild Africa, cannibalism, primitive Africa, dark continent, and helping Africa. These stereotypes effect people’s lives and can destroy self-confidence. In this essay I will go into further detail to explain theses stereotypes and how they are an implication in real life. Wild Africa: The perception of the entire continent of Africa being exactly like a safari, comes from movies, shows, amusement parks, books, and zoos. Individuals trust that there are genuine creatures strolling openly around Africa.
The prejudices made by the Europeans are evident throughout Conrad’s novel, however, two books have counteracted that idea and tried to prove the well developed society that exists all over Africa. Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton and Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe, both focus on debunking the stereotypes of Africa. Paton and Achebe both explore the concept that Africa does have culture but are slowly losing it due to the settlement of whites. However, Paton implements the idea of white savior complex which is the idea that only whites can help the blacks regain establishment. As Conrad creates the atmosphere that Africa is seen as limited, in contrast, Paton and Achebe criticize it by... Joseph Conrad primarily perceives the westerners’ attitudes towards Africans similarly like most Europeans who believe they are higher and more developed.
The bloodshed that has littered the history of African nations throughout their independent existences has often been considered a direct consequence of the forcible and careless unification of tribes into nations without any understanding of the politics that govern their relationships. Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) is a historical novel, set in the British colony of Nigeria at about the turn
The advent of colonialism was a result of the aim to create the European Empire. The most dominant tools of colonialism were education, religion and colonial niceties. An often-ignored tool of colonialism was the depiction of Africa by Western literature. Previously, Eurocentric literature portrayed Africa as a barren place, one laden with bestiality and other inhumane traits. It sought to dehumanise the African people.
Achebe along with many other writers like Wole Soyinka, Buchi Emecheta, Ben Okri, Ama Ata Ai-doo and others had used literature as a medium to express their desires for a reawakening of a society that has lost its values and even its own identity. Gikandi states that Achebe’s works and thoughts always stir many forgotten questions - where, when and why does colonialism begin to seize the initiative in the organi-sation of the African society (Things Fall Apart and Arrow of
(7) Consequently, imperialism caused African cultural heritage to become replaced by a prosperous European-based one. Moreover, Western civilization became the ideal civilization, and became way superior to African “civilization.” As a consequence, African tradition became perceived as primitive, outmoded, and sadly not welcomed by the rest of the world. Unfortunately, a lot of Africans experienced a trend of a dying out culture. (2) It can be implied that even the Africans’ self-perception dropped because the only lifestyle they knew was suddenly taken away from them and they were taught that it was substandard. Therefore, the indigenous inhabitants of the colonies, the Africans, had to adapt to a new, “superlative” culture and view it as more sophisticated than theirs.
“Things Fall Apart”, a novel written by Chinua Achebe about Africa through the character Okonkwo, a man who Achebe uses to illustrate the complexity Igbo culture, contrary to what the Europeans portrayed Africa as. One main focus of the book is to counter the single story, which is the idea that an area is represented by one story, similar to a stereotype. However, differing from a stereotype a single story often completely misrepresents something, and in this case Africa. Europeans had been the only ones writing about Africa, describing all the culture as problematic for being different, rather than looking at what African culture really is. Achebe was one of the first to write about African culture for westerners to read about, making Things Fall Apart a true innovation in writing.
It is evidently visible that many people stereotypically view Africa as a country that is primitive and uncultured. However, some novels that have been distributed over western society introduce the fact that Africa in reality does have established civilizations and is filled with culture just like any other country. Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart, exemplifies this idea by demonstrating the rituals performed, the government structure, and other aspects of the Igbo tribe. Achebe believes most people are ignorant to African culture and clearly indicates this view to his audience. His main character, Okonkwo, is a wealthy Igbo member who struggles with the missionaries’ arrival to Umuofia.
In the analysis of the three epic films that will follow, we will come to terms with how effort is being made on screen to bridge the chasm between the past and the present. Returning to the origins, a distinctive feature of African cinema in general as the scholar Manthia Diawara noted, is that penchant in many film makers to piece together images of Africa that is no more (Diawara, 1992, 159-166). Colonialism and globalization have had damming effects on the African identity that has always been subjected to Western or foreign manipulations.These manipulations result in situations in which Africans have little or no powers to define their strong sense of origin and identity (Mayer
Nasrin Pourhamrang, Chinua Achebe states: “Things Fall Apart, I believe, now has a life of its own. I think it is now more famous than I am! The fifty plus translations are a big indication of its impact. I feel like a parent watching a child succeed from the sidelines.” Things Fall Apart, as a story about a culture on the verge of change, is translated to more than 60 world languages including Persian. This post-colonial novel is ideologically written to represent African colonized culture to the world; it outlines the aspect of the colonial and post-colonial condition and also its many consequences particularly the loss of the many traditions of Africa.