Analyzing The Processes Of Decolonization And Early Post...

Analyzing the processes of decolonization and early post-colony in Africa is a complex task. Especially when looking through the perspective of different nations that each followed their own path. Chinua Achebe’s There was a Country and Ngugi Wa Thiong’o’s Dreams in a Time of War, are both exceptional novels that grapple with the social and political struggles going on in their respective countries. They also help explore the complexities of nation building as well as political conflicts expression in communal form. On one hand, Thiong’o’s piece is a child’s recollection of his childhood with the lead up to the Mau Mau Emergency and colonialism in the backdrop. Achebe’s on the other hand takes place later in history and focuses on the political and social struggles that ultimately led to the Biafran war. Dreams in a Time of War takes a more abstract attempt at telling the story of colonialism and the conflicts of Kenya. One of the main comparisons the book makes is that of Thiong’o as a person to Africa itself. It looks at how his thirst and perseverance towards learning and self-reliance reflects Kenya s, and Africa’s as a whole, eagerness to rid themselves from colonial rule. This idea comes from an important scene in the book where at the age of nine Thiong’o’s mother asked him if he wanted to go to school; he was so overwhelmed because he didn’t even think to hope of something like that. Despite his initial response, he also realized the hardship and sacrifice thatShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagescould quite plausibly argue that a new era had begun. A compelling case can be made for viewing the decades of the global scramble for colonies after 1870 as a predictable culmination of the long nineteenth century, which was ushered in by the industrial and political revolutions of the late 1700s. But at the same time, without serious attention to the processes and misguided policies that led to decades of agrarian and industrial depression from the late 1860s to the 1890s, as well as the social Read MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pagesapparatus of cultural formation was controlled fully by the elite who, to a large extent, ran the educational apparatus and the economic system. But much of the country was beginning to question in earnest the structure of colonial society by the early 1930s. The emergence of Rasta during that period corresponds with so much that was happening around the world. Rastas could tell that social unrest in Jamaica was going to lead to a movement away from colonial rule and, having heard Marcus Garvey