Thursday, April 23, 2009

Other than proverbial language, how is Achebe demonstrating the depth and beauty of African culture in the novel Things Fall Apart?

The depth and beauty of the Igbo culture in
is particularly evident in the descriptions of tribal customs and rituals,
including musical performances, dances, and religious ceremonies. These play an important role
in the book from the very beginning. s father, , is a musician and his face lights up whenever
he talks about music. His reaction to the thought of playing in his band is poetically
described:

He could hear in his minds ear the
blood-stirring and intricate rhythms of the ekwe and the udu and the ogene, and he could hear
his own flute weaving in and out of them, decorating them with a colorful and plaintive tune.
The total effect was gay and brisk, but if one picked out the flute as it went up and down and
then broke up into short snatches, one saw that there was sorrow and grief there.


This music is often accompanied by traditional dances such as the
ozo, which is part of the intricate ritual that occurs when a member of the tribe takes a new
title. There are many of these rituals for important milestones in the life of the tribe and its
members, some of which (for example, births, deaths, and marriages) are universal. However,
others, such as the taking of titles and the ceremonies involving the egwugwu dancers (who
impersonate the ancestral spirits of the village) are culturally very specific. Art and religion
are combined in these powerful rituals, which emphasize the dignity of the culture as much as
the lofty language and intricate mythology of the Igbo.

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