AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY, LITERATURE AND ACHEBE'S THINGS FALL APART
Résumé
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, and the African philosophies it presents viz a viz the way of life of the people shall be the main thrust of this paper. African philosophy is an offshoot of the African culture and tradition which Chinua Achebe Things Fall Apart is perhaps the strongest proponent worldwide. The trado-philosophy of Africa is the totality of the world view that has been handed down from generation to generation, but which unfortunately has been watered down and eroded by the slavery and colonial experiences and the imposition of western-judeo philosophy by the colonialist. Consequently, African philosophy cannot be held apart from the African culture and tradition; with literature becoming the crucible for all its elements to coalesce and take on a life of their own, reestablishing the African ethos and continuing the tradition of African philosophy – the wisdom of the ancient that has both guided and guarded the lives of Africans since time immemorial.The postcolonial theory of literature and the generally held concepts of African philosophy and metaphysics shall be our guide in this paper whose conclusion shall be to the effect that that these African philosophies are alive and well and as valid as any other philosophy anywhere in the world – ancient or modern. Thus, our exploration shall analyze the effect of these philosophies on the people of Achebe's creation who are the people of his tribes and their possibility and potentiality for creating both sociocultural and traditional awareness and change