Introduction to Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie Understanding the Nigerian political context as a background to the novel This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND Ethnic diversity • There are an estimated 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria. Each inhabits a territory that it considers to be its own by right of first occupancy and inheritance. Individuals who are not members of a dominant group but who have lived and worked for several decades in the territory of the group are still considered to be aliens. There are three major ethnic groups in the country: the Hausa-Fulani, the Yoruba and the Igbo. Nigeria as a British colony • From early 1800s, Britain expanded trade with Nigeria • 1885: British claims to a West African sphere of influence received international recognition; and in the following year, the Royal Niger Company was formed. • 1900, the British Empire created the Southern Nigeria Protectorate and the Northern Nigeria Protectorate. • 1914, the area was formally united as the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria. • 1945: Following World War II, in response to the growth of Nigerian nationalism and demands for independence, successive constitutions legislated by the British Government moved Nigeria toward selfgovernment on a representative and increasingly federal basis. • 1 October 1960: Nigeria became an independent state. Modern Nigerian Politics • Since independence in 1960, the political environment in Nigeria has featured severe contestations among the country’s diverse ethnic groups. This legacy of contestations has created a multi-layered and multi-faceted political structure that is peculiar to Nigeria. • There have been more than 30 elected and take-over governments in Nigeria since 1960 – and the country experienced a devastating 3-year civil war in the late 1960s. • This constant battle for power has meant that governance and economic progress have suffered. Religion • At the beginning of the 20th century, most Nigerians were followers of traditional religions, but British colonial policies discouraged this to such an extent that by the time of independence in 1960, the great majority of the people were classified as Muslims or Christians. • However, today, many of those professing to be Muslims and Christians also openly perform certain rites or rituals of traditional religions – now no longer condemned as they were during the colonial period. • While a supreme god (called Olorun Olodumare in Yoruba, Chukwu in Igbo, Osalobua in Edo, and Abasi Ibom in Ibibio) is central to many of the traditional religions, the deity is worshipped through a number of intermediaries or lesser gods. Igbo Storytelling • Great tradition of both oral and written storytelling • https://lithub.com/on-the-igbo-artof-storytelling/ • Post-colonial African literature • Chinua Achebe • “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie • 15 September 1977 (age 45) • Award-winning, fierce and phenomenal • Achebe’s prodigy • https://www.ted.com/talks/chim amanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger _of_a_single_story/c • Watch her TED talks! Purple Hibiscus • Purple Hibiscus is a novel written by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Her debut novel, it was first published by Algonquin Books in 2003. • Originally published: October 2003 • Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie • Genres: Novel, Fiction, Bildungsroman COLONIALISM AND NIGERIAN POLITICS FAMILY RELIGION AND BELIEF Themes FREEDOM VS. TYRANNY VIOLENCE SILENCE AND SPEECH Kambili Achike • The novel’s narrator, a fifteen-year-old girl who is quiet and withdrawn, but an excellent student. • She idolizes her father, Papa, even as she fears his violent punishments, and her worldview is based on his strict Catholic rules. • After visiting Nsukka she slowly starts to talk and open up more, and falls in love with the young priest Father Amadi. • She ultimately retains her Catholic faith, though a more liberal one based on that of Father Amadi and her Aunty Ifeoma. Jaja (Chukwuka Achike) • Kambili’s older brother, a seventeen-year-old who is also quiet but an excellent student. • Jaja feels guilty about being unable to protect Kambili and Mama from Papa. • In Nsukka he discovers a passion for gardening, and he quickly feels more at home with Aunty Ifeoma than with Papa. • Jaja then acts more openly rebellious than Kambili, challenging Papa and abandoning his Catholic faith. • At the same time he grows more distant from Kambili. He later takes responsibility for Mama’s crime and is imprisoned for three years. Papa (Eugene Achike) • Kambili’s father, a wealthy factory owner and devout Catholic. Papa uses his vast wealth to support his friends and relatives, many charities, and his church, St. Agnes. • He also publishes the newspaper the Standard, the only paper willing to criticize the corrupt government. • At home, however, Papa is a strict authoritarian. He has rigid rules and impossibly high standards for his wife and children, and hurts them—for what he sees as their own benefit—whenever he perceives that they have sinned or failed. • Papa breaks ties with his father, Papa-Nnukwu, when Papa-Nnukwu refuses to become a Catholic. Papa is a “colonial product” who believes that Western culture is superior to Nigerian culture, and as a result he affects a British accent and avoids speaking Igbo. Mama (Beatrice Achike) • Kambili’s mother, a quiet, submissive woman who takes care of her children but does not • speak out against Papa’s violence. • After Kambili’s birth she suffers several miscarriages because of Papa’s beatings. • Mama is friends with Aunty Ifeoma, but does not act on Ifeoma’s “university talk” of liberation and equality. She feels she cannot leave such a wealthy and socially important and even benevolent man. • But as his abuse worsens and he causes yet another miscarriage for Mama, she does slowly poison Papa. • After Papa’s death and Jaja’s arrest, Mama rarely speaks and seems constantly distracted. Aunty Ifeoma • Papa’s sister, a tall, outspoken woman who is a professor at the University of Nigeria in Nsukka. • Ifeoma is not afraid to criticize her brother, the university, or the Nigerian government. • She is a Catholic, but a liberal and open-minded one who accepts PapaNnukwu’s traditionalist beliefs. • She treats her children with respect, encouraging them to debate and speak their minds. • Since her husband Ifediora’s death she has struggled for money, but she refuses to succumb to the demands that come with Papa’s money. • Ifeoma ultimately helpsboth Jaja and Kambili find their voices and independence. • She moves to America when the university fires her for speaking out against the “sole administrator.”
