Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series -Things Fall Apart again...

Dear Professor Ken and Scientist Ikhide and others  Please is it true that Things Fall Apart is a historical novel? Is it based on history and can the representation of women in the novel be said to represent how Igbo women were in the 1800s? A student sent me this message in regard to her position on how Achebe chose to represent women in TFA. [The way Chinua Achebe chose to represent women in his novels, especially Things Fall Apart, has been one of the subjects of discussion in literary circles. Such scholars include; Biodun Jeyifo, Abiola Irele, Rhonda Cobham, and Kimberly Hiatt. Some are of the view that the writer does great textual injustice to whom and what Igbo women are in reality] When she got her paper back this is the comment from the Professor: [He [the Professor] pretty much accused me of calling Achebe a liar. He says[TFA] its a historical novel that was set in 100 years before it was written and as such was true at that time.] Meaning TFA has rings of truth in it? This was the student's conclusion: [Having said this much, one can conclusively say that Things Fall Apart, though a work of fiction, Achebe has narrated the story so vividly that it comes close to reality. In my opinion, it has strongly conveyed the message that Okonkwo is representative of the Igbo man and everyone else as a weakling. This is not exactly 'true' from my experience as an Igbo woman, having lived in Nigeria for the first 33 years of my life. The way Achebe has represented womanhood in the novel and the way I see it may be at odds but it allows for a healthy debate on the role of women in traditional societies. The structure of the novel and its plot bring to the fore one of the functions of literature; that of recreating reality in different ways] --- On Wed, 7/21/10, Kemi Seriki <ajokotade@hotmail.com> wrote: I couldn't help it but to share this passage from Chinua Achebe's new book titled The Education of a British-Protected Child. In this passage, Achebe described the sense of pride an average Nigerian possessed in the 60's. As he stated "Traveling as a Nigeria was exciting. People listen to us. Our money worth more than the dollar". He goes on to say, "When the driver of a bus in the British colony of Northern Rhodesia in 1961 asked what I was doing sitting in front of the bus, I told him nonchalantly that I was going to Victoria Falls". He continues,

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