Things that would not fall apart: appraising Igbo tradition in Achebe’s culture – specific narratives

With the translation of Chinua Achebe‘s novel Things Fall Apart into several languages, scholars have been more preoccupied with investigating how the colonial intrusions affected those cultures. The general assumption is that the customs of the Igbo people have all fallen apart, and perhaps beyond repair. However there are reasons to begin to re-appraise these standpoints. In Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God, the reader perceives how Achebe explores the celebration or performance of certain aspects of the Igbo culture. In the first novel, Things Fall Apart, before the incident considered to be the falling apart interface, the socio-political and religious lives of the people which are part of the human intercourse are highlighted. But much more, they are explored in further thematic intensity in Arrow of God. This is considered to be Achebe‘s objective which is significant in pointing to those Igbo cultural practices which might have been caught in what the author sees as the 'crossroads', yet they are less prone to crumble. It is pertinent to interrogate these elements of culture so as to also provide a yardstick for measuring what may be considered as the patterns of Igbo life which Achebe celebrated.Keywords: Things fall apart, Arrow of God, Igbo cosmology, Cultur

Manhood patronage as transmutation in the novels of Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo and Chimamanda Adichie

Most deep-seated feminists find writing as a veritable medium for not only reacting to the unpleasant challenges of women, but also for creating female characters who are burdened with revolts  against men. On the other hand, their male characters are rather entrusted with roles that portray their weaknesses. It is this  consideration that has generated the controversies that trailed the institution of feminist discourses in emerging Nigerian literature. However, female writers have begun to consider portraying the flaws of women more than those of men, with the supposition that a less apologetic approach be employed in this regard. They are rather projected to instigate the woman‟s consciousness to the outcome and dividends of self appraisal. In this circumstance, there is a reduction in the vehemence of earlier feminist models. It is with the supposition of such transmutation that this paper  examines the pointers to African female writers‟ enlistment in feminist conciliation, with a focus here on Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo and Chimamanda Adichie. This comes within the  framework of the overall repercussion of the feminist conjectures on the continent‟s literary output.Keywords: Manhood, Feminist writing