African culture and religion as reflected in the novels of Chinua Achebe

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to study the unique African culture and African religion in the novels of
Chinua Achebe on the basis of social realism. Chinua Achebe’s novels hold a mirror to the events that took
place in Africa and each of his novels reflects the changes that took place in a chronological order. The
Colonizer, whoever he may be always perceived the continent of Africa in a negative light. He called Africathe Dark Continent, the land of barbarism and the natives of the land were given a status lesser than human
beings. The land was only seen as a challenge that could test the strength and endurance of a colonizer. As
he set foot onto the continent of Africa, he often called the land of wilderness or the land of no return as very
few colonizers emerged successful. Every colonizer’s dream was to conquer the land and the people and set
it up as one of the established colonies of the colonizing county. The paper focusing on the theory of social
realism showcases the ancient, the powerful and the rich culture of Africa along with the religion, myths,
beliefs and practices of the land.