Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of the most acclaimed and prominent contemporary Nigerian writers working today. Adichie was born on September 15, 1977 in Enugu, Nigeria. She and her family moved to the city of Nsukka when she was little, so that her father could work at the University of Nigeria as a professor and vice-rector, and so that her mother could work there as a registrar (Mullane, 2014). Adiche grew up with a bilingual education in English and Igbo, respectively (Mullane, 2014). She eventually moved from Nigeria and immigrated to the United States when she was a teenager to attend Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, Connecticut ("Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie" 2018). She took a bachelor's degree from there with a major in political science and a minor in communication (Mullane, 2014). She also took a master's degree in creative writing at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland ("Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie" 2018). It was during this period that Adichie became passionate about writing and decided to continue writing as a career. She has published a collection of short stories ( The Thing Around Your Neck ), two book-length essays ( We should all be feminists , Dear Ijeawele, or a feminist manifesto in fifteen proposals ), a memoir ( Notes on grief ), and three novels ( Purple Hibiscus , Half of a yellow sun , Americanh ) per day date.
Half of a yellow sun
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was not alive during the Nigerian Civil War (also known as the Biafran War) and did not experience it personally, but it still greatly affected her and her family's lives. So much so that she wrote a novel about it entitled Half of a Yellow Sun , which was released in 2006. Both of Adichie's grandfathers died in refugee camps during the war, and she then dedicated Half of a Yellow Sun to both of them (Mullane, 2014). She had other family members who also experienced the war and interviewed them about their experiences in preparation for the novel (Mullane, 2014). Adichie's novel Half of a Yellow Sun focuses on Nigeria before, during and after the Nigerian Civil War through the perspective of five different characters - Ugwu, an Igbo resident; Odenigbo, professor of mathematics at Igbo; Olanna and Cainene, twin sisters Igbo; and Richard, an English emigrant and journalist. The war lasted from 1967 to 1970 and was fought between the Nigerian government, consisting mainly of the Hausa-Fulani people and the Republic of Biafra, mainly consisting of Igbo people who wanted to separate from Nigeria. The main theme of Half of a Yellow Sun is about the horrors of war and what it does to people. Adichie does not shy away from describing in detail the details of the devastating consequences of the war or putting her characters in situations where they have to face these consequences. Ugwu is heavily enlisted in the Biafran army and is badly wounded after being hit by a shrapnel (Adichie, p. 367). He also participates in the gang rape of a bar girl (Adichie, p. 365). Odenigbo's mother is shot dead by a soldier (Adichie, p. 299). His and Olanna's wedding is also interrupted by airstrikes and bombings by the Nigerian army (Adichie, p. 202). Olanna witnesses a woman carrying her baby's severed head in a calabash while riding the train (Adichie, p. 149). Richard witnesses many Igbo people who were shot dead by soldiers at the airport on their way back to Port Harcourt (Adichie, p. 153). He also witnesses, along with the Kaiene, Ikejide's beheading due to being hit by a grenade splinter (Adichie, p. 317). The Caines travel to a Nigerian-occupied market in the hope of providing food for the refugee camp she runs and never return, leading the reader to conclude that she is dead (Adichie, p. 405). The picture Adichie paints of the Nigerian civil war and its impact on Nigeria's Igbo population is not pretty.
How colonialism created an ethnic conflict
What created the tension between Hausa and the Igbo people that eventually led to the Nigerian civil war? This aspect of Half of a yellow sun is the most fascinating and is not explicitly answered in the novel. The root of the Nigerian civil war can be traced back to British colonialism. When British explorers, merchants and missionaries arrived in Nigeria in the 18th century, they noticed that it was composed of different ethnic and religious groups living in their own regions (Howard, 2017). The Hausa people lived in the north, the Yorubas lived in the southwest, and the Igbos lived in the southeast. The northern part of Nigeria was predominantly Muslim, having been hit by a 19th century jihadist movement organized by the local rural and pastoral Fulani group (Gilbert and Reynolds, 211). Their goal was to establish Islamic states and spread Islam as a political, social and religious system (Gilbert and Reynolds, p. 211). This region was ruled by the Islamic Sokoto Caliphate until the British defeated and abolished it in 1903 (Howard, 2017). Despite this, the British continued to operate in the north, assuming that Islam was the standard religion of the Houses and concluded that Christian missionaries were not necessary there. (Iwuchukwu, p. 15). This made the southern part of Nigeria a destination and a preference for Christian missionaries. The Yoruba were able to maintain their pantheistic religion which viewed Olodumare as the creator of the world, humanity and lesser deities. However, they also adopted aspects of Christianity such as its trinity that can be seen through their orisas, lesser gods who had their own special areas of power (Gilbert and Reynolds, p. 63). Igbos, on the other hand, continued to fully embrace Christianity. Many Igbos believed that Christianity offered visible social benefits, and that if they were associated with Christian missionaries, there was a chance that they could "escape various forms of colonial rule" (Ekechi, p. 103). As a result, they were quite receptive to missionary propaganda (Ekechi, p. 103).
Merger of Nigeria
In 1914, the British merged the northern and southern areas of Nigeria into one country, mostly as a convenience for colonial administration (July, p. 554). It was actually easier to rule Nigeria if it was a single country. The British government was primarily concerned with its own economy and the efficiency of its own organization, and did not even bother to assess the potential consequences of the merger of Nigeria (July, p. 554). The Hausa, Igbos, and Yorubas were all proud groups who were "noticeably unsympathetic, if not incomprehensible, to each other's efforts for self-improvement," and the British were aware of this (July, p. 554). The problem of rejecting the cultural differences between Hausas, Igbos and Yorubas and forcing them to be only "Nigerians" is perhaps best summed up by Odenigbo, who at one point said to Ugwu:"I am Nigerian because a white man created Nigeria and gave me that identity. I am black because the white man constructed black to be as different as possible from the white. But I was Igbo before the white man came "(Adichie, p. 25). The British were imperialists who thought it was their right to dictate the identity and life of the Igbos and Yorubas.
Tension between Hausas and Igbos
Sociologist and philosopher Karl Marx is known for his writings on conflict theory, which view that society is in a state of eternal conflict due to its competition for limited resources (Thomas et al., P. 16). These conflicts often play out in reality between different ethnic groups and eventually lead to war, and that is exactly what happened to Hausa and Igbos. The Hausa feared for their ability to control their own destinies in a rapidly changing society (July, p. 555). Igbos, on the other hand, were usually among the most educated, wealthy, and prosperous people in Nigeria (Achebe, p. 74). Their backgrounds enabled them to fill senior positions such as administrators, managers, technicians, government officials, and more (Achebe, 74). Igbos were helped in part by their culture, which embraced change and competition, in contrast to Hausa, which was hindered by their conservative and traditional societies (Achebe, p. 74). They were also helped by the culture of pedagogical excellence they acquired from the British (Achebe, p. 77). The British as a Christian colonial power naturally favored the predominantly Christian Igbos over the predominantly Muslim heads. These are some of the factors that gave Igbos an undisputed advantage over other groups in securing legitimacy for their own progress in Nigerian colonial society, and this caused deep resentment for the heads (Achebe, p. 74).
Post-independent Nigeria brand of violence
Nigeria finally gained independence from the British in 1960, but nothing good came of it immediately. Post-independence Nigeria was marked by years of inflation, unemployment, political corruption and much more (July, p. 555). A coup led by mainly Igbo junior officers on January 15, 1966 killed Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, premiered Ahmadu Bello and Samuel Ladoke Akintola, and many others. The underlying anti-Igbo sentiment that finally reached its boiling point after this incident, when the federal government began carrying out anti-Igbo pogroms (July, p. 555). These pogroms led to the killing of thousands of Igbos living in the northern part of Nigeria, as well as the destruction of their homes and properties (July, p. 555). F. Ndokwa, an Idoma official, experienced this pogrom in real life and was interviewed about his experience decades later in 2004. After reflecting on this horrific incident, he shared:«16. May 1966 there was a commotion at my school (Zaria Provincial Junior High School). A mob invaded the school. When they entered my classroom, they ordered us all to lie face down on the floor. Students who were not from Northern Nigeria were dragged out of the room. My friend, from the Oji River, was among those slaughtered for other students. I also witnessed the Sunday assassination in which many Igbo were killed, houses burned and shops looted. In fact, being an Igbo was an offense. We tried to hide our friends. We gave them Hausa names and smuggled some away from the neighborhood. Students formed surveillance groups and staffed the entrance to the school until the curfew was declared and the school was closed ”(Uchendu, p. 397). The federal government did not respond to requests from Igbos to stop the pogroms (Achebe, p. 90). It was no longer safe to be an Igbo in Nigeria, and soon Igbo leaders were put under pressure to create a separatist Igbo state (Howard, 39). On May 30, 1967, Army Officer and Military Governor Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu declared the eastern part of Nigeria as the new independent sovereign state of Biafra (Howard, p. 36). The war immediately followed this secession. If the British merger of Nigeria never took place, there is a good chance that these events would not have taken place. Forcing two different ethnic and religious groups to live in the same country and compete against each other had to create chaos and instability.
How was Half of a yellow sun received?
Before Half of a Yellow Sun was published, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie had already collected several literary prizes for her writings. She received the PEN, O. Henry and BBC Awards for short stories she had written early in her career ("Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie" 2018). Her debut novel, Little Hibiscus , received the Hurston / Wright Legacy Award and the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best First Book ("Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie" 2018). Her Half of a yellow sun, was also met with critical acclaim. It received the Orange Broadband Award for Best English Language Novel written by a woman ("Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie" 2018). In 2020, Half of a yellow sun was named the best book to win the Women's Prize for Fiction in the Prize's 25-year history by the public (Flood, 2020). Adichie was hailed by critics for accurately capturing the spices, smells and textures of Nigeria (Gallagher, 29). She was also praised for representing the diverse human groups that make up Nigeria, such as the wealthy elite, feisty and brutal soldiers, simple villagers, intellectual nationalists, corrupt politicians, well-meaning but ineffective priests, and the British and American foreigners (Gallagher, p. 29). In her review of Half of a Yellow Sun , author and historian E. Frances White stated that Adichie skillfully draws readers into the terror and brutality caused by the war, and that she has done her homework. At the same time as Half of a yellow sun was well received by the professional community in general, but the novel also received some criticism. Yacoubou Alou of Zinder University was critical of Adichie's propensity to tell a simple and unbalanced story that is skewed towards the Igbo perspective and Biafran activism (Alou, p. 106). In addition, Alou criticized Adichie for showing a general contempt for the Hausa people and primarily defining them on the basis of their ethnicity and religion instead of more personal, humanizing qualities (Alou, p. 107). One could argue that this distorts or bias Adichie's perspective on the Nigerian civil war. The title of the novel alone suggests where she stands - "Half of a Yellow Sun" is a description of the symbol on the Biafran flag. It is important to note that Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an Igbo woman whose family was strongly influenced by the Nigerian civil war. It is the perspective she chooses to print from, and it is ultimately what creates it Half of a Yellow Sun so compelling to read. Adichie puts the spotlight on the unique Igbo experience during one of the most violent, chaotic and life-defining events in Nigerian history.
References
Ngozi, Adichie Chimamanda. Half of a yellow sun. United Kingdom:Fourth Estate, 2006. Press.
Achebe, Chinua. It was a country:a memoir . New York:Penguin Books, 2013. Press.
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Griffiths, Heather, et al. Introduction to Sociology 2e . Houston:12th Media Services, 2015. Press
Ekechi, FK "Colonialism and Christianity in West Africa:The Igbo Case, 1900-1915." Journal of African History, vol. 12, no. 1, 1971, pp. 103–115., Doi:10.1017 / S0021853700000098.
- Iwuchukwu, Marinus. Colonial Northern Nigeria and the Politics of Muslim-Christian Relations. New York:Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Press.
Gilbert, Erik and Jonathan, T. Reynolds. Africa in World History:From Prehistory to the Present . Np:Pearson, 2012. Press.
Janet Mullane. "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Lawrence J. Trudeau, vol. 364, Gale, 2014. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1143380000/LitRC?u=rock77357&sid=LitRC&xid=f1435b17.
White, E. Frances. "While the world watched." The Women's Review of Books, May-June 2007, pp. 10+. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A180217907/LitRC?u=rock77357&sid=LitRC&xid=6ea24033.
"Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie." Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2018. Literature Resource Center, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/H1000157547/LitRC?u=rock77357&sid=LitRC&xid=3b423f7f.
VanZanten Gallagher, Susan. "Do you remember Biafra?" Books and culture, Jan.-Feb. 2008, p. 29. Litteraturressurssenter, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A173971653/LitRC?u=rock77357&sid=LitRC&xid=1070c0c9.
Howard, RT "FROM 50 YEARS OLD:The civil war that resulted from the division in Nigeria was a great human catastrophe that should not be forgotten." History Today, vol. 67, no. June 6, 2017, p. 36.
Egodi Uchendu. "Reminiscent of childhood experiences during the Nigerian Civil War." Africa:Journal of the International African Institute, No. 3, 2007, p. 393.
Alou, Yacoubou. (2017). Emerging themes in Chimamanda N. Adichie's fiction:Ethnic and national identity narratives in half a yellow sun and "A private experience". IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science. 22. 105-109. 10.9790 / 0837-220203105109.