Dynamism in Precolonial African Society - Research Paper Example

Dynamism in Precolonial African Society of Dynamism in Precolonial African Society The dynamism of precolonial African society is something that needs a lot of attention from the academic society of today. In an increasingly globalizing world where people are losing their cultural identities to adopt a universal identity, an understanding of native societies are necessary so that neo-colonial forces do not eat into the cultural space that is available for the values and practices of native societies. Much research has been done into the postcolonial and colonial histories of African states. However, the precolonial past of Africa still remains a largely unknown and unresearched area of study. The need for research in this area stems from a need for archives regarding this era. The presence of archives is considered to be one of the major ways in which the sanctity and historical validity of a culture can be asserted. Novels like Things Fall Apart that have been written about the impact of colonialism on African society also look into the situation in Africa before the advent of colonialism. The dynamism of such societies is described in great detail by the author, Chinua Achebe. The novel describes the prevalent practices in the Igbo society where people believed in their own religion and practices. These are shown to be well-developed and designed in accordance with the conditions of existence that prevailed in what is known today as Nigeria. Achebe creates sites that can be reclaimed as archives by the people of the Igbo community and posits them in ways that had hitherto remained unexplored. He debunks the theory that history had to be written to be valid through the extensive use of songs and folk narratives in his work. His narrative also employs extensively, the modes of storytelling that were popular among the tribes of African society. These forms of storytelling and the different aspects of life that they talked about makes clear the dynamic nature of the society in Africa that existed before the arrival of the colonial forces of Europe. The novel describes the disintegration of the ways of life that existed earlier with the coming of the colonizer into the society of Africa. The breakdown of the lives of the members of the Igbo community of Africa is indicated by the death of the protagonist, Okonkwo. The colonizers, and not the tensions within African society, are shown to be the cause of its decline and stagnation (Achebe, 1987). Such societies were the center of many forces that then led to the formation of capitalist societies in the present. These forces interacted with the capitalist and imperialist forces of the colonial powers to produce the society of Africa that we see today. The interaction of these produced a society at the center of which was still, the primitive dynamic society of Africa. This society presented one of the perfect examples of the interaction between the forces of African primitive society with its emphasis on lineage and the institutions that support it and are a part of that framework, and the new economic structures that the colonising powers of Europe brought with them (Sangmpam, 1995). To analyze the society of the primitive eras of Africa, an analysis of the present and the effects of the past on the present are very important. An analysis of present day Africa would reveal to us how the two world orders interact. The societies of Africa, thrust into democratic setups, have been unable to function as smoothly as they did under indigenous forms of governance. This is not to suggest that democracy is not a workable form of governance in Africa. However, the transition was not effected in a very scientific manner and there was a great resistance from the ancient forms of social structuring. The power and dynamism of these social orders can be seen in the resistance to sudden and imposed change that they offer. The tribal forms of governance in African societies were in many ways, examples of a smooth and efficient from of democracy. While they were not completely democratic by any stretch of imagination, they did offer certain strengths to women and marginalized sections of the society in ways that Western society never has. They also offered means of redressal for people who had been wronged in ways that were quick and efficient. In many colonized societies a quick and smooth system of justice was often replaced by Western systems of law that failed to work as effectively in these societies. They were unable to dispense justice in quick and efficient ways. The presence of such judicial systems was one of the most important factors for the dynamic nature of these African communities and the societies that they formed a part of. Graham W. Irwin talks about the intricate nature of diplomacy between the different states of precolonial Africa in his essay, “Precolonial African Diplomacy: The Example of Asante”. The relations between these states were based n ties of diplomacy and sometimes they were a part of the same larger empire. Some were also joined by ties of origin and this led to a robust and dynamic network of ties between the different tribes and states of Africa. These states engaged in business amongst themselves and also with states of other continents that had gained access to Africa. There was a healthy state of discussions and debate regarding international relations and the ways in which politics needed to be conducted, in precolonial Africa. Wars were often avoided as a result of the interventions of these diplomatic networks that always assisted in negotiations between two different states that were experiencing tension between themselves in state affairs (Irwin, 1975). Africa has been referred to as the ‘dark continent’. This epithet has obviously racist connotations. It also designates the continent as one which was always ignorant of civilized ways of being. The dynamic and robust structuring of precolonial African societies belies these views. The exposition of the absolute untruth of this epithet requires study and effort from the minds of the academia. Notes 1. Chinua Achebe. Things Fall Apart (New York: Penguin, 1987). 2. S.N. Sangmpam. “Sociology of "Primitive Societies," Evolutionism, and Africa”. Sociological Forum 10 (1995): 4, accessed April 21, 2012, http://www.jstor.org/stable/684774 3. Graham W. Irwin. “Precolonial African Diplomacy: The Example of Asante”. The International Journal of African Historical Studies 8 (1975): 1, accessed April 21, 2012, http://www.jstor.org/stable/217487 Bibliography 1. Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Penguin, 1987. 2. Sangmpam, S.N. “Sociology of "Primitive Societies," Evolutionism, and Africa”. Sociological Forum 10 (1995): 4, accessed April 21, 2012, http://www.jstor.org/stable/684774 3. Irwin, Graham W. “Precolonial African Diplomacy: The Example of Asante”. The International Journal of African Historical Studies 8 (1975): 1, accessed April 21, 2012, http://www.jstor.org/stable/217487 Read More