Love and Race/Class Relations as the Seeds of War and its Resolution

Joyce Chen and Kate Liu, Fall, 2011

OutlineOutlineI. Introduction:

Nigeria-Biafra war Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and the novel

II. Chap 1: Ugwu’s Education III. Chap II: Relations between

1)Olanna and her family2)Olanna and her uncle’s family 3)Olanna and Odenigbo 4)Seeds of Independence and Conflicts

IV. Notes & References V. Next Time

NigeriaNigeria——Basic DataBasic Data

NigeriaNigeria——Before ColonizationBefore Colonization

circa 11th century onwards - Formation of city states, kingdoms and empires.

1472 - Portuguese navigators reach Nigerian coast.

16-18th centuries - Slave trade 1809 - Single Islamic state - Sokoto caliphate - is founded in north

1850s - British establish presence around Lagos.

Joyce

NigeriaNigeria—— Colonization to independence Colonization to independence

1861-1914 - Britain consolidates its hold over what it calls the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria, governs by "indirect rule" through local leaders.

1923-Western-educated elites established the first political party NNDP; the rise of independence movement

1960 - Independence, with Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa leading a coalition government.

1964-First national election

Nigeria-Biafra WarNigeria-Biafra War——CausesCauses

Race-Religion: Tribalism to regionalismReligion and Ethnic differences

Hausa-Fulani: feudal society governed by Muslim Sharia. Conservative, undeveloped, yet most populous

Yoruba: feudal society governed by oba (monarch)

Igbo: republic system, governed by “titled men”. Convert to Christianity and enjoy the highest literacy in English during colonization

Economy: the discovery of oil reserves

Direct cause: Coup in 1966 genocide in the north –30,000 people of Ibo/Igbo ethnic origin were killed

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3ReFoFp0Gs3:46 – three tribes

Nigeria-Biafra WarNigeria-Biafra War—— International Intervention International InterventionRecognition: Gabon, Haiti, Côte d'Ivoire, Tanzania (the first) and Zambia

A continuous power wrestling between ex- colonizersInterest of oilFear of Balkanization (seccesionism)

The end of the War: Air raid, blockade, The end of the War: Air raid, blockade, Starvation, and OjukwuStarvation, and Ojukwu’’s exile to Côte d'Ivoires exile to Côte d'Ivoire

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eppgEVwxCfk&feature=related 4:12 starvation

QuestionsDifferent perspectives of the researches on the war.

Civil war: meaningful or meaningless?

Why/ How do we (non-Nigerians) study the war?

How is the war presented—by American films such as Blood Diamond, The Last King of Scotland, and by African novels and documentary such as War/Dance?End of the war:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTpuVlKJ_Q&feature=related 6:00 Biafran Govt in Exile http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZTpuVlKJ_Q&feature=related

Literary Presentation of the warLiterary Presentation of the war—— Earlier Generation Earlier GenerationWitness: memoirs / diaries

Wole Soyinka (1934-)The man Died: Prison Notes of Wole Soyinka

Elechi Amadi (1934-)Sunset in Biafra: A Civil War Diary

Ken Saro-Wiwa (1941-95) On a Darkling Plain: An Account of the Nigerian Civil War.

Literary Presentation of the warLiterary Presentation of the war—— Earlier Generation Earlier Generation

Allegory/fictions/ Poems

Chinua Achebe(1930-)Girls at WarChristmas in Biafra and other poems

Christopher Okigbo(1932-67)Labyrinths with Path of Thunder

Flora Nwapa (1931-93) Wives at War and Other Stories.

Never Again. Buchi Emecheta (1944-)Destination Biafra: .

Literary Presentation of the warLiterary Presentation of the war——Younger GenerationYounger Generation

Dulue MbachuWar Games

Chimamanda Ngozi AdichieHalf of a Yellow Sun

Uzodinma IwealaBeasts of No Nation

Chris AbaniSong for Night

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

born (after Biafra war) in 1977the family's ancestral hometown is Abba (where Odenigbo comes from)

grew up in Nsukka, left for the United States at the age of 19

Got her BA degree in communication and political science at Eastern Connecticut State University, her master's degree in creative writing at Johns Hopkins University

Purple Hibiscus (2005)Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) –Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction 2007

Source: http://www.l3.ulg.ac.be/adichie/

http://www.halfofayellowsun.com/content.php?page=author_gallery&n=1&f=2

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Why write? Why write?

because I wanted to write about love and war, because I grew up in the shadow of Biafra, because I lost both grandfathers in the Nigeria-Biafra war,

because I wanted to engage with my history in order to make sense of my present, many of the issues that led to the war remain unresolved in Nigeria today,

because [my family] my father has tears in his eyes when he speaks of losing his father, because my mother still cannot speak at length about losing her father in a refugee camp,

because the brutal bequests of colonialism make me angry,

because the thought of the egos and indifference of men leading to the unnecessary deaths of men and women and children enrages me, because I don't ever want to forget.

(source; youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO8ZEtyuiZM )

Half of a Yellow Sun Half of a Yellow Sun Three major characters: Olanna –born of an upper-class family, a teacher at Nsukku U. before the war

U[u]gwu – O’denigbo's household servant from the village

Richard Churchill – a British writer and journalist, lover of Kainene [kaineinei]

Why the title Why the title Half of a Yellow SunHalf of a Yellow Sun1. Commemorates Biafra 2. The sun can be a rising sun, or a

falling sun. 3. Who and what can survive the war?

The Novel and the war The Novel and the war (1) The characters as witnesses Olanna -- witnesses the killing of Igbos in the streets of Kano, including some of her family (her uncle and aunt)

Richard -- sees the killing of Igbos in the airport while waiting for a plane;

Ugwu – forced to serve in the army, where he witnesses and gets involved in the violence of wartime (e.g. raping a woman).

-- heard that the Nigerian soldiers had promised to kill five percent of Nsukka academics.

Structure & Structure & the Theme of War and Love the Theme of War and Love Parallel between two time lines:

Early Sixties: Part I, III (climax), Late Sixties: Part II (massacre war breaking out), IV

8 chapters end with a fragment from The Book: The World Was Silent When We Died

Two kinds of [family and national] wars, trauma, and how to survive both.

(2) The characters as survivors and/or “writers.”

The Book in the NovelThe Book in the Novele.g. “At Independence in 1960, Nigeria was a collection of fragments held in a fragile clasp.” (195)

e.g. “Nigeria did not have an economy until Independence…But the new Nigerian leaders were too optimistic…

Who wrote it? Title from Richard (“This war isn’t my story to tell, really” 530)

A poem modeled after Okeama’s poemsUgwu wrote his dedication: “For Master, my good man.”

“WERE YOU SILENT WHEN WE DIED?”

Did you see photos in sixty-eightOf Children with their hair becoming rust:Sickly patches nestled on those small heads,Then falling off, like rotten leaves on dust?

Imagine children with arms like toothpicks,With footballs for bellies and skin stretched thin.It was kwashiorkor—difficult word,A word that was not quite ugly enough, a sin.

You needn’t imagine. There were photosDisplayed in gloss-filled pages of your Life.Did you see? Did you feel sorry briefly,Then turn round to hold your lover or wife?

Their skin had turned the tawny of weak teaAnd showed cobwebs of vein and brittle bone:Naked children laughing, as if the manWould not take photos and then leave, alone (470).

Summarise chapter 1-6:Character development: How be specific!

Key plot points. Where, when ?Theme development. Examples please.You can do this any way you want but must address these points. And the answer the L.O.

Chap I

Reminder: Place Names … Reminder: Place Names … setting of chaps 1-2 Nsukka Lagos Kano

(Kainene – Port Harcourt, running her father’s business);

Odenigbo from Abba

Nsukka

Abba

War Game– Jos Amafor

Reminder: Character Names … Reminder: Character Names … Olanna –

[sister] Kainene (45) – [boyfriend] Richard (44-45)

[father] Chief Ozobia– [mother] (42-43) – Chief Okonji

[uncle] Mbaezi –[aunt] Ifeka –[daugher] Arize (49) --[Hausa friend] Abdulmalik (50)

[ex-boyfriend] Mohammed [boyfriend] Odenigbo –Ugwu

Chap 1:Chap 1: Ugwu’s Education Ugwu’s Education 1. Ugwu as a villager:

What aspects of the town Nsukka and Odenigo’s house are new to Ugwu?

Where does Ugwa keep his traditional thinking?

Do we see similar responses to modernity in chap 2 (p. 34)?

2. Ugwu as a houseboy: How does Ugwu settle down and win the

master’s heart? Is he completely obedient?

What makes him special as a houseboy? How does he learn from Odenigbo and his colleagues?

◦ Where do you see the seeds of Biafra independence?

Ugwu as a villager: Ugwu as a villager: 1. Ugwu -- the town Nsukka and Odenigo’s

house Street (3); The house: too much space (5), bookshelf,

ceiling too high and white (5), tap & fridge (7), bulb (8);

Master’s wearing slippers (7), Ironing the socks

chap 2 (p. 34)—the older woman’s response to the landing airplane

2. Ugwa’s traditional thinking Desirous and Sexist – a) keeps chicken in

his pocket; 2) Nnesinach - Anulika (9-10) Wary of the traders in the North Literal-minded: Cannot understand the

analogy the Master makes (12) Blames all on Evil spirit (17); curses

those he doesn’t like (16) Believes in dibia’s power e.g. using

arigbe to win the master’s heart.

Ugwu as a houseboyUgwu as a houseboyThe Master’s emphasis on education:

(13-14) “Education is a priority” Different from the other houseboys (21)

Ugwu: attentive and open to learning Careful in learning the rhythm of Master’s

life (16)- Reads the books though not understanding

them completely (21) Listens to the talk of Odenigbo and his

colleagues (21-) “All Ugwu needed was the deep voice, the melody of the English-inflected Igbo, the glint of the thick eyeglasses” (26)

[chap 2] learning to cook from Olanna

Ugwu as a houseboy (2)Ugwu as a houseboy (2)Ugwu: personally involved, he cares about

both Odenigbo and Olanna. Dislikes Ms. Adebayo (26) Cursing her at first (27) Finds the master’s English to be

dignified and like music, and Olanna’s, magic (27-28)

Attentive to their interactions (pp. 30-31)

Seeds of Independence and SurvivalSeeds of Independence and Survival Independence:

Intellectuals –comments on racial inequality in American South, South Africa

pan-Africanism vs. pan-Igbo idea-- “The only authentic identity for the African is the tribe” (25)

(24-25) Survival

Ugwu: imitates the Master (25) Ugwu: Feels confirmed (“tall”) by

Olanna’s smile; appreciates her inner strength like a polished stone

Chap II

Olanna and her familyOlanna and her familyHow do you describe Olanna’s parents’ class background and social position? (clues: airport scene, Lagos Life and the meeting with Chief Okonji).

How is Olanna related to her parents, and her sister Kainene? (36-46)

From their interactions, could you tell what the parents expect of Olanna and Kainene differently?

Olanna’s Family– rich but cold and distanced Olanna’s Family– rich but cold and distanced from one another from one another

Well-known and glamorous airport scene: recognized by the ticket seller, who invites her to the VIP lounge (33)

Lagos Life (41) – a picture of her and her mother (Olanna –does not feel comfortable about “being a part of the gloss that was her parent’s life” (42)

the meeting with Chief Okonji. the father has a construction company, which usu. gives the government 10% as a bribe.

They want her to marry one of these famous people in order to improve their business (43)

Kainene vs. Olanna Kainene vs. Olanna (36-46)Kainene: critical/acerbic, sharp and detached Calls her a sex bait (44); “So will you be spreading your legs for that elephant in exchange for Daddy’s contract” (44)

Calls Odenigbo Olanna’s “revolutionary lover”

The two –drifted away since their 2nd-school year (45)

a clue to future (dis-)connection: Richard (44)

The trip to Kano (1): The trip to Kano (1): Olanna and her uncle’s familyOlanna and her uncle’s family

What makes Olanna close to her uncle and aunt?

What types of racial differences, relations and/or antagonism does Olanna encounter in her uncle’s (e.g. her meeting uncle’s Hausa friend, her conversation with Arize), and then with her ex-boyfriend, Mohammed?

Olanna and her uncle and auntOlanna and her uncle and auntUncle Mbaezi – light-complexioned, earthy (47), admired by Olanna because of his differences from her mother

Aunt Ifeka – breastfeeding O and K; always kills a hen when O visits

Arize – (49) gives her an excited hug, a Hausa friend gives her a pair of slippers friendly. Olanna’s parents look artificial by comparison.

The whole household: noisy, lively and intimate; Olanna—avoids looking at the cockcroach eggs or worrying about the choking smoke (51)

The seeds of Independence The seeds of Independence Igbo: Uncle about The Igbo Union Igbo Union Grammar School (47)Anti-colonialist: Odenigbo – critical of Europeans’ views of Africa – Hegel “call[s] Africa a land of childhood” (62) If Europe had cared more about Africa, the Jewish Holocaust would not have happened. (62) *

Okeoma – the function of WWII (63) –realizing that white man was not mortal.

Seeds of Conflict (1): Seeds of Conflict (1): Racial DifferencesRacial DifferencesArize –

lack of appreciation of Ijaw culture and their stockfish (51) –cheap or delicious for Arize? Mischievous or condescending?

About a man from Abba – “so ugly” (52) looks forward to getting married, but definitely not to a Hausa man

Mohammed’s mother: used to be “standoffish, speak stiffly …” (57)

Seeds of Conflict (2) Seeds of Conflict (2) Olanna and OdenigboOlanna and Odenigbo

How did Olanna get to know him? Is their relationship sex-driven only?

Olanna: A mixture of ideal and sex. Mohammed “you’re a nationalist and a patriot, and soon you will marry your lecturer the freedom fighter” (58)

Their sex being interrupted, she is reluctant to go meet his colleagues. (62) –Her connection to life is later also a means of survival.

But she talks more when feeling threatened by Ms. Adebayo (64)

Tentative Conclusion: a collective history Tentative Conclusion: a collective history written about/by written about/by Intellectuals who are idealist but beaten:

Igbo mathematician, poet (in the group are also one from the Caribbean, one from America, one from India)

Foreigners: Some indifferent and some sympatheticSusan – escapes. Dr. Patel -- Indian doc. who never eats kola nut but appreciates the joke;

Richard – a friendly foreigner who is sympathetic but still an outsider.

Olanna –in between her interest in intellectuals’ debates and the joie de vivre

Ugwu – in between his traditional thinking and learning from the masters.

Notes (1) Black German HolocaustNotes (1) Black German Holocaust

Heroro people –In 1904, the Heroro tribe of German South-West Africa revolted against their colonial masters in a quest to keep their land; the rebellion lasted four years, leading to the death of 60,000 Heroro tribespeople (80% of their population). The survivors were imprisoned in concentration camps or used as human guinea pigs for medical experiments…

the Rhineland of 1936: Hitler retaliated against the African soldiers' occupation by targeting all Black people living in the Rhineland first. In particular,…Germany's 24,000-member Black community was the number one focus for Hitler's sterilisation programme. (source)

Notes (2) Notes (2) Kola nut (可樂果 ) -- offspring of the cola tree that grows in Africa, South America and the West Indies. Chewing this nut is a favorite pastime of natives who claim it diminishes fatigue and thirst and (for some) has aphrodisiac properties. (source)

Note (3) Note (3) Kwame NkrumahKwame Nkrumah(21 September 1909 - 27 April 1972) was an influential 20th century advocate of Pan-Africanism, and the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966.

attempted to rapidly industrialize Ghana's economy. He reasoned that if Ghana escaped the colonial trade system by reducing dependence on foreign capital, technology, and material goods, it could become truly independent. Unfortunately, industrialization hurt the country’s cocoa sector.

As his government was overthrown, and Nkrumah deposed, Ghana fell from being one of the richest country in Africa to one of the poorest.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Nkrumah

Referencehttp://www.historians.org/Tl/LessonPlans/nc/Trask/study.htm

http://www.nathanielturner.com/rememberingbiafraaliteraryreview.htm

Hawley, John. “Biafra as Heritage and Symbol: Adichie, Mbachu, and Iweala.” Research in African Literatures 39.2 (2008): 15-26. Print.

Next Time – 1.2Next Time – 1.2The first four chapters -- A child’s experience of escaping from a city to a countryside.

Themes and motifs::Ugwu and inequality: his perspectives show the harshness and poverty of village life.

Lack of aspirations.Master & Colonialism: Odenigbo is a symbol of anti–colonial struggle.

Contradiction: He fights against British ideals yet is defined by his Englishness.

Motif of the fridge important in early chapters.

Sexuality: Not shyed from, yet not tabooed. Also not glorified or associated with lascivious blacks.

Reality of life.

Gender and Tradition:Seeing conflict between traditional role of women and of more liberated and intellectual ones.

Consider Beyonce / Shakira?Postcolonial identities: are women still being defined by hegemonic values?

Racial tensions:Conflicts of groups in Nigeria.Motif of language and identity.Motif of the house: Physical seperation barriers that seemed to accompany wealth. Symbolism of Olanna’s parents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=booKP974B0k&ob=av2e

Shakira clip.Hair.Identity.Hegemony.

Themes and motifs:

Describe Olanna’s experiences of Obenigbo’s friends.

How do they regard her? P. 49-52Describe Olanna’s relationship with Mohammed? P.43What was Richards relationship like with Susan and the men of the club? P.53..

Where might we see examples of a racist attitude? And in Whom? P.54

How might we see examples of colonialism on p.79.

L.O. To explore the Characters and themes up to p.205.Uganda rising examples of the African voice.

A couple to quick quizzes to test your understanding of the novel so far.

Explore the development of themes and characters in the novel so far.

Michael Foucault on power:What is really going on?Superficiality V’s depth analysis?How does the author show a deeper appreciation of the socio-political, economic & cultural ideas?

Task 1:Part 1 choose a character and a Theme associated with that character. i.e.

Odenigbo Anti colonialism.

Part 2: Show how the character and the theme are both developed by the author.

1st appearance development

Themes and motifs:Social divisions:Motif of the school ‘Heath grove’.Idea of the master and self fulfilling prophecy.

Education and progress.Motif of power. Who holds it ? and the relationships that are displayed through it.

The book: The world was silent when we died.Masters overarching obsessions with colonialism seems uncaring.

Motif of the chewing stick: Ugwu’s village Vs masters house.

Characters and Themes:Food:Sexuality:Colonialism:Literature:City/Village:Female identity:Rich / Poor:Geography of Nigeria (social & geographical):

Rationality/Superstition:Peace / War.Tradition / modernityIdentity

Themes and characters:How is this furthered by motifs.For example:Odenigbo’s use of English as a motif of his colonial education which stands in stark contrast to his anti-colonial discourse.