storytelling in Achebe

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“In what ways and for what reasons does Achebe explore Storytelling in his novel Anthills of the Savannah?”

In Achebe’s novel “Anthills of the Savannah” storytelling is presented as a means to escape the effects of colonialism in Africa.  He presents Storytelling in many different ways: through myth and folklore, Beatrice, Ikem and the Abazonian elder and it is clear to the reader that storytelling plays an important part in Kangan. Achebe also explores storytelling as a way to pass down historical values from generation to generation, as shown by Beatrice’s process of enlightenment at the sight of the bird. He also uses storytelling to weave traditional religious elements with that of modern society.

Ikem is a clear storyteller, and the reader sees this even more as the book progresses, after he witnesses the Abazonian elder’s speech. Achebe’s purpose to have the “Hymn to the sun” written by Ikem is to set the semi-religious elements of Kangan/Nigeria, against modernity, which in, chapter 3 particularly, is shown through the combustion of traffic that Ikem faces.  This shows the reader the struggle in Post-colonial African countries. Ikem writes “like anthills surviving to tell the new grass of the savannah about last year’s bush fire....” which can be a symbol or metaphor for the oppression of women in post-colonial Africa and gives the title a relevance as it shows that the corruption and political struggles in kangan  is a cyclical process.

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The oppression of women is further explored in Ikem’s “love poem” which he reads to Beatrice to thank her for the gift of “insight”. Ikem’s love letter states that the oppression of women is a problem in post-colonial societies but it is not only a problem in Kangan as “there is no universal conglomerate of the oppressed” and this is important to understand. The reader is further enlightened on the chaos when Ikem says “ Reform may sound like a dirty word but then it is beginning to look as if it is the most promising route to success,”.  The ...

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