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A review by ije
An Image of Africa by Chinua Achebe
4.0
"Gandhi was real. Aminu Kano was real. They were not angels in heaven, they were human like the rest of us, in India and Nigeria. Therefore, after their example, no one who reduces the purpose of politics which they exemplified down to a swinish scramble can hope to do some without bringing a terrible judgement upon himself.
Nigeria cannot be the same again because Aminu Kano lived here"
'An Image of Africa' and 'The Trouble with Nigeria' are brilliant essays that explore the European construction of Africa as a foil to Europe's perceived identity while dehumanizing Africans and post-colonial issues facing Nigeria (with a focus on leadership).
I will admit that I was not convinced by some of the arguments made in 'The Trouble with Nigeria' because they seem delusionally optimistic - particularly those that imply that widespread indiscipline and corruption can be fixed by the examples of a small group of leaders (It is impossible to reconcile this with both the idea that corruption naturally pulls in the common man and my experience of how things work in 21st century Nigeria). Overall, it provided an enlightening look into Nigeria's political past along with the depressing realization that things have only gotten worse since Achebe penned this essay thirty years ago.
Nigeria cannot be the same again because Aminu Kano lived here"
'An Image of Africa' and 'The Trouble with Nigeria' are brilliant essays that explore the European construction of Africa as a foil to Europe's perceived identity while dehumanizing Africans and post-colonial issues facing Nigeria (with a focus on leadership).
I will admit that I was not convinced by some of the arguments made in 'The Trouble with Nigeria' because they seem delusionally optimistic - particularly those that imply that widespread indiscipline and corruption can be fixed by the examples of a small group of leaders (It is impossible to reconcile this with both the idea that corruption naturally pulls in the common man and my experience of how things work in 21st century Nigeria). Overall, it provided an enlightening look into Nigeria's political past along with the depressing realization that things have only gotten worse since Achebe penned this essay thirty years ago.