The document is an academic submission by Rita Dabhi, a fourth-semester student at MKB University, discussing Igbo culture as depicted in Chinua Achebe's novel 'Things Fall Apart.' It highlights the significance of Igbo customs, religion, and the impact of European colonialism on traditional life in southeastern Nigeria. Key aspects include the socio-cultural practices of the Igbo people, their polytheistic religion, and notable literary works of Achebe.

1. ❖ Name : Rita Dabhi
❖ Sem :- 4
❖ Roll no. :20
❖ Paper :- African Literature
❖ Submitted :- Department of English, MKB
University
❖ Email :- dabhirita1198@gmail.com
❖ Batch :- 2019-2021
❏ Igbo Culture in Things Fall Apart

2. ❏Chinua Achebe
● Born : 16 November 1930
● Died : 21 March 2013
● He was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic.
● Notable works :“Things Fall Apart”
“Arrow of God”
“Anthills of the Savannah”
“No Longer at Ease”
“A Man of the People”

3. ❏Things Fall Apart
● First published in 1958
● It depicts pre-colonial life in the southeastern part of Nigeria
and the arrival of Europeans during the late 19th century.
● The novel follows the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo ("Ibo" in the
novel) man and local wrestling champion in the fictional
Nigerian clan of Umuofia.
● The work is split into three parts, with the first describing his
family, personal history, and the customs and society of the
Igbo, and the second and third sections introducing the
influence of European colonialism and Christian missionaries
on Okonkwo, his family, and the wider Igbo community.

4. Igbo culture are the customs, practices and
traditions of the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria.
It comprises archaic practices as well as new
concepts added into the Igbo culture either by
cultural evolution or by outside influence. These
customs and traditions include the Igbo people's
visual art, music and dance forms, as well as their
attire, cuisine and language dialects. Because of their
various subgroups, the variety of their culture is
heightened further.
❏What is Igbo culture ?

5. Location of the Igbo homeland (dark green)
in Nigeria (green)
● The Igbo people also spelled Ibo and formerly
also Iboe, Ebo, Eboe, Eboans, Heebo are a meta-
ethnicity native to the present-day south-central
and southeastern Nigeria.
● The Igbo language is a part of the Niger-Congo
language family.
● In rural Nigeria, Igbo people work mostly as
craftsmen, farmers and traders. The most
important crop is the yam.Other staple crops
include cassava and taro.

6. ❏Igbo Art:

7. ❏ Polytheistic Religion in Igbo Culture
● Religion is significant in Igbo culture. They're polytheistic, with different
gods or goddesses to oversee each aspect of life.
● All of these gods and goddesses report to Chukwu, the head god.
Different aspects of Igbo religion come up throughout the novel, and
several times religion and religious observances play a major role in the
plot.
● For exa.
As Ezeani, the priest of the earth goddess, says:
'We live in peace with our fellows to honour our great goddess of the
earth without whose blessing our crops will not grow.'

8. ❏Work citation :
● Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. Penguin Publishing Group, 2019.
● Cole, Herbert M. “Igbo Arts and Ethnicity: Problems and Issues.” African Arts, vol.
21, no. 2, 1988, pp. 26–93. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/3336525. Accessed 27
Apr. 2021.
● Khan, Mosir. “Things Fall Apart: A Cultural Reverberation of Pre Colonial African
Culture of the Ibo/Igbo.” SSRN Electronic Journal, 2014, doi:10.2139/ssrn.2414485.
● Rhoads, Diana Akers. “Culture in Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.” African
Studies Review, vol. 36, no. 2, 1993, pp. 61–72. JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/524733. Accessed 26 Apr. 2021.