Nigeria
By Alex Hardison
Nigerian Life
•-Food varies greatly depending on region
•-TV’s, VCR’s, and Radios are popular where
electricity is available.
•Celebrate some holidays, including their
independence day, which is October 1st, and
workers day, which is May 1st.
•They also celebrate religious holidays.
Auto industry of Nigeria
•-Nigerian auto industry is in decline.
•-Only car manufactures left are Puegeot
Automobile Nigeria and Anambra Motor
Manufacturers Company Limited.
•-Main reasons for decline is the lack of money of
the Nigerians, a large amount can’t afford cars,
coupled with the high cost of manufacturing is the
reason for decline.
Food of Nigeria
•Each region has its own set of foods.
•-In Southern Nigeria, many soups are based on
tomatoes, onions, red pepper, and Palm Oil.
•-In Northern Nigeria, rice is the main food staple.
Most of the people there don’t eat pork because
most of them are Muslim.
•A large amount of Nigerians eat fruits because they
live in the tropics.
Bibliography
•"Nigeria.”Encyclopedia Britannica. 2009.
Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 12 Nov. 2009
•<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/41
4840/Nigeria>.
•"Nigeria." FodbyCountry. 12 Apr. 2001. Web. 13
Nov. 2009.
<http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-toSouth-Africa/Nigeria.html>.
•
•
Igbo Culture
By Emily Bedell
Dress
• Wore eye paint called kohl; sign of beauty and
kept away insects and glare
• Wore grass skirts, leaves, skins, and cloth
made of tree bark
• Today they are only worn in a couple places or
on special occasions/traditions
• Brass, stone, bone, or iron bracelets were
worn to tell gender, success or religion
Living Conditions
• Houses used to have mud walls and thatched
roofs
• Now, after the discovery of oil, the houses are
made out of cement and have electricity
• Villages even have running water
• Television and radio is now common
Food
• The yam is a staple in the Igbo culture
• Other foods include cassava, rice, taro root,
maize, and plantains
• Meals mostly include a starch and a soup with
vegetables and meat
Citations
• “Body Adornment and Clothing”. Africa: An
Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. John
Middleton. Vol. 1. New York: Charles Scribner's
Sons, 2002. p87-89.
• "Igbo". Advamag Inc.. 11/11/09
<http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Mauritania-toNigeria/Igbo.html?Comments[do]=mod&Comme
nts[id]=21>.
Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe
(http://kciotti.wikispaces.com/file/view/chinua
-achebe.jpg/32520871)
Chinua’s Background
• Born November 16th, 1930
• Lived in Eastern Nigeria
• Member of the Igbo tribe
• Attended university
at Umuahia and Ibadan,
Nigeria
Chinua Achebe
(http://www.carcanet.co.uk/data/op/2/2im
g01.jpg)
His Literature
• Not satisfied with the way Africans were
portrayed in European works
• “Things Fall Apart” gave him worldwide
recognition
• Used themes of social commentary, tradition,
and Christian influences in his work
Chinua Achebe
http://danliterature.files.wordpres
s.com/2009/07/chinua_achebe1.jp
g)
Impact Today
• Regarded by many as one of Africa’s top
novelists
• “Things Fall Apart” still considered one of the
best novels ever written
• Brought awareness to Igbo traditions
Chinua Achebe
http://www.collegenews.org/Images/chin
ua2.jpg
Igbo People
Daphne Weidner
Igbo Background
•Location: Southern Nigeria (second largest group living there)
•Language: Igbo
•Population: 5.5 million
•Various villages and subgroups, but same language is spoken
•Two major theories about where the group came from:
1.) there was a land at the core called “nuclear Igboland”
2.)descended from immigrants from the north and west in the
fourteenth/fifteenth century
•1900-Britain took control of Nigeria
•1960-Nigeria becomes independent
Religion
•Believe in a supreme god- Chukwu Abiama
•Usually does not interact with the humans
•No sacrifices made directly to him; ultimately recieves sacrifices to
minor gods
•Minor gods
•Do interact with humans and their emotions
•Ala- earth goddess; fertility of humans and earth
•Anyanwu- sun god; growth of trees and crops
•Igwe- sky god; rain
•Spirits
•Spirits take up rivers and forests along the edge of cultivated lands
•Mbataku and Agwo- spirits of wealth
•Aha njoku- yam spirit
•Ikoro- drum spirit
•A feeling of friendship between humans and deities/spirits is present
Family
•Practice polygamy men have more than one wife
•Men want to marry as many women as possible to be
successful
•Families usually own farm plots to support wives and children
•It is ideal for all of extended family to live in one massive
compound together
•Age and gender depend on respect
•Males and elders are given high respect
•Children are to greet elders first
•Social status depends on wealth
•Mbi- poor
•Dinkpa- reasonably prosperous
•Ogaranya- rich
Bibliography
“Igbo” .Advamag Inc.. 11/11/09
<http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Mauritania-to-Nigeria/Igbo.html?
Joseph Conrad:
Brilliant Author or Depressed
Pessimist?
By
Zack Schiffer
His Books
•Nostromo – About men whose love for material possessions
evidently brings about their downfall
•The Nigger of the “Narcissus” - About the slow demise and
eventual death of an African-American aboard a ship
•Lord Jim – About a tragic accident aboard a sea vessel
•Heart of Darkness – In depth exploration of the darkness
which broods in the human heart
•All of his stories are tragedies, and many stories involve main
characters going through tragic irreversible changes.
His Critics
• Critic Shirley Galloway said “….[the narrators in Conrad’s
books] their stories are a lesson in what not to do when
one is under stress”
• He is a well known author who writes about the deep truths
of humanity
• During the time when Conrad wrote his first book, the critic
Edward Garnett urged him to continue writing
• Conrad did
• Hedescribes a vision of humanity to future readers that is
unique and powerful
He, Himself, and Him
• Conrad lived a sad life:
• His father was exiled to northern Russia and died when
Conrad was young
• He became bankrupt and attempted suicide at age 19
• He was shipwrecked near the East Indies and floated for
13.5 hours before reaching land
• He lived a poor life full of illness
• During a voyage to Africa, he was mentally scarred for
life by what he experienced there
• Yet he wrote many stories which are now world renowned
Bibliography
•
"Book Review on Joseph Conrad's 'Nostromo.'" Rev. of
Nostromo, by Joseph
Conrad. AcaDemon. AcaDemon and Essay 411, 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
<http://www.academon.com/Book-Review- Joseph-Conrad%27sNostromo/68981>.
•
"Lord Jim Study Guide." BookRags and Gale's For Students Series. Thompson
Corporation, 2005-2006. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. <http://www.bookrags.com/
studyguide-lordjim/sum.html>.
•
"Joseph Conrad." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
11 Nov. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/133148/JosephConrad>.
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924)
By
Matt Crain
Joseph Conrad Early Life
• Born in Ukraine, but was known as an English novelist
• His father (a writer/poet) was arrested when Conrad was
four…his mother died when Conrad was eight
• Conrad’s maternal uncle assumed role of father after deaths
• Conrad became very interested in the sea
• At age 17, he went to sea, first in the French merchant service
• At age 23, he joined the British merchant navy
• While in the navy, he went on many voyages including to the
Far East
• These voyages shaped him as a man and what he was to
become: a writer
Mid-Life And Becoming A Writer
• At age 32, Conrad began writing his first novel, named
Almayer’s Folly
• He then, on a whim, decided to go to the Congo, in Africa,
which was his dream as a child
• The four months he was there changed him forever; it was
a traumatic experience and his his physical health was
damaged forever
• Around after his 4 month journey there, he was done
traveling the seas
• He then settled down, married, and had two sons
• Based on his journeys and struggles, Conrad became a fulltime author
Later Life And His Novels
• Conrad, after his adventure in the Congo, grew to have very
poor health, which devastated him for the rest of his life
• He also struggled financially
• Using his adventures as a background, Conrad wrote many
novels including Nostromo, The Heart of Darkness , and
Lord Jim
• These novels aimed at unhappiness, sorrow, , darkness, and
tragedy
• The mysteriousness and dramatic realism of his novels
made him to be one of the greatest and unique novelist of
the 20th century
• Conrad died of a heart attack at age 67
Bibliography
• "Joseph Conrad." Encyclopedia Britannica.
2009. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 10 Nov.
2009
http://britannica.com/Ebchecked/topic/13314
8/Joseph-Conrad
• Merriman, C.D. "Joseph Conrad." The
Literature Network. Jalic Inc., 2007. Web.
10 Nov. 2009http:///www.onlineliterature.com/conrad/
Chinua Achebe
• Born 1930
• Born in Ogidi, Nigeria
• Named Albert Chinualumogu
Achebe
• Parents were Igbo people but
also Evangelical Protestants
• Wrote a lot about Western
influences on Africans and
Hard choices faced by Africans
in modern life
• Author of Things Fall Apart
http://www.geanco.org/news.html
Chinua Achebe
• 1944 attended Gov. College at Umuahia
• Continued education to University College of
Ibadan
• Other Nigerian writers to attend: Wole Soyinka,
Elechi Amadi, John Okigbo and many more
• Changed his name to Chinua (British name 
indigenous name)
• Achebe went into government service during
Nigerian Civil war (1967-1970)
Chinua Achebe
• War influenced Chinua’s writing: now focused
on frustration and disappointment of Nigeria
• Became a professor of English at the University
of Nigeria until 1981
• Came to America and taught at various schools
(University of Massachusetts, Bard College
• Paralyzed from the waist down in a car crash
• Highly respected African writer
Bibliography
• Liukkonen, Petri. "Chinua Achebe." Books
and Writers. 2008. Web. 11 Nov 2009.
<http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/achebe.htm>.
• Africa: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed.
John Middleton. Vol. 1. New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons, 2002. p2.
The African Yam
Why is it Important?
Whitey Sokol
and Meghan Blose
The African Yam
Facts About Yams
• Mostly, the "yams" America are accustom to are
actually sweet potatoes
• Yams grow in tropical areas
• The yam plant yields both male and female flowers
• There are more than a hundred different varieties of
yams
• Yams come in different colors; white, yellow, purple,
pink
• Very versatile in the kitchen - can be boiled, fried,
baked, roasted, mashed into paste, made into a
dough
Importance of Yams
• With the changing
conditions of African
climate, farmers and
hunters had to learn how to
use the land to the best of
their ability
• Fertile land left after the
recession of the wet
season gave a chance to
plant new crops
• People started to
appreciate the "wild tubers"
that grew throughout the
regions
• The White Guinea yam
was the most important of
the yams that evolved the
agricultural growth of Africa
• Root farming was the
newest way to grow food
• plant "breeding" was used
with these African farmers
to yield the most crop
possible
fertility?
• Twins were sometimes thought to be caused by
yams
• Wild Yams
• Birth Control
• More African Twins
• Experts uncertain
bibliography
"African Yams." photobucket.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
<http://media.photobucket.com/image/african%20yams/melodylu/
sweet_potato.gif>.
"African Yams." www.brittanica.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/102127/central-Africa/40635/
The-agricultural-revolution >.
"African Yams fertility." afp.google.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i_IsZNBK7Hf1B4VhfWtFxg7G2svw.
"African Yams more likely to create twins?" www.fertilityties.com. N.p., n.d.
Web. 11 Nov. 2009. <http://www.fertilityties.com/post/show/
african-yams-to-increase-chance-of-having-twins>.
The Congo
By: William and Rebecca
Geography
-West Africa
-The Congo is between Angola and Gabon
-Barley touches the South Atlantic Ocean
-Area is 341500 kilometers
-Similar to the size of Montana
Environment
-tropical
-rain season (March to June)
-dry season (June to October)
-high temperatures and humidity
-Natural Recources: petroleum, timber, potash,
lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold,
magnesium, natural gas, hydropower
-Arable land is 1.45%
-Permanent cropland is 0.15%
-Other land use is 98.4%
Map of the Congo
Government
-Republic
-Capitol is Brazzaville
-Has it's own Constitution
Economy
-GDP per capita $3,900
-Agricultural Pruducts: cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables,
coffee, cocoa; forest products
-Industry: petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil, soap,
flour, cigarettes
-Exports a great deal of Petrolum
History
-Gained Independence in 1960
-Became democratic 1992
-Civil War in 1997 brought ethnic and politcal unrest
-Peace sined with rebels 2003
-Still refuges are created
-Once largest Petrolum producers, but is losing much of its petrol
Fun Facts
Languages: French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba, local languages and
dialects(Kikongo is most widespread)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write, total population percent of 83.8%
70% of the population lives in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or along the railroad in
between them
-Official Name is the Republic of Congo
-Number of people with Aids 79,000
Population
-4,012,809 people
-Average Age of people 16.8
-Population Growth 2.754
-Birth Rate 41.37 births per 1000 people
-Death Rate 12.01 deaths per 1,000 population
-61% of total population live in a urban environment Republic
-Infant mortality rate 79.78 deaths per 1,000 live births
-Average life span 54.15 years
of Congo Flag
Bibliography
"Congo, democratic republic of the ." Map. www.state.gov. U.S. Government , n.d.
Web. 11 Nov. 2009. <http://www.State.Gov/p/af/ci/cg/>.
"Congo, Republic of." Info Please. High Beam Research, 2005. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
<http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107427.html>.
"Congo, Republic Of The ." Central Intelligence Agency. U.S. Government , 28
Oct. 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. <https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/
the-world-factbook/geos/cf.html#top>.
"Democratic Republic Congo." The Chevron Cars. Chevron Product Company, 2009.
Web. 11 Nov. 2009. <http://www.chevroncars.com/learn/flags/
Democratic-Republic-Congo>.
THANKS
FOR
WATCHING!
Imperialism
• The domination of a society by another against the will of its
people
• Formal
o foreign state manages the day-to-day political, social, and
economic affairs in another state (example: British rule
over American colonies)
• Informal
o foreign state works through local intermediaries to manage
another state (example: Britain negotiated favorable
trades with native Indian monarchs instead of bearing the
heavy costs of more direct imperial control)
Imperialism
• During the late17th century, Britian,Germany, and France
were main imperialist powers in Africa
• the "scramble for Africa" was motivated by Europe's desire
for the colonies' natural resources for their industrial
conplexes
• the Europeans supported their actions with the argument that
through natural selection the "stronger race" of Europeans
would inevitably conquer the "weaker race" of Africans
Imperialism
• "The Powers Celebrating
the Fall of Pekin," by R.B
Mayfield
• Potrays several powerful
nations trampelling over the
native Chinese in celebration
after putting down the Boxer
Rebellion in the country
Mayfield, R.B. "The Powers Celebrating the Fall of Pekin." The Bookman, August 1901.; "Performing His Duty." Brooklyn Eagle,
January 1902.; "Alligator Bait." Detroit Journal, January 1909. Available online at
http://www.boondocksnet.com/gallery/us_000600.html
Suri, Jeremi. "Imperialism." Dictionary of American History. Ed. Stanley I. Kutler. Vol. 4. 3rd ed. New York: Charles Scribner's
Sons, 2003. 242-246. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. STATE COLLEGE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL. 11 Nov. 2009
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=state16801.
"scramble for Africa." World History:The Modern Era.
ABC-CLIO, 2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2009. http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com
European Imperialism in Africa
Christy Mihalenko
Period 7
The Second Comming
By Kent
Who wrote it? Why?
• Written by William Butler Yeats in 1921
• Written at the end of WWI
• Describes the feeling of despair, hopelessness
of the state of the world.
How does it relate to the book?
• The title of the book was chosen from a
phrase in the poem
• Yeats believed that the world was about to
end and that it is about to fall into darkness
“Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,”
• Talks of a beast rising from the sands of a desert
(probably Sahara)
• Since the book talks about Africa, as an
uncharted, uncivilized place, it fits.
Citations
Brians, Paul. "Chinua Achebe: Things Fall Apart." Rev. of Things Fall Apart. Washington State University.
Washington State University, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2009.
<http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/anglophone/achebe.html>.
Nigeria
By: James Hlywiak
Demographics
• Nigeria has the largest population in Africa.
• The last census was in 1991, so population
estimates range from 116 million to 127
million.
• Life expectancy is 51.6 years.
• The capital is Abuja and the largest city is
Lagos.
• Nigeria is 923,768 square miles.
Economy
• Exports: Petroleum, cocoa, rubber.
• The economy relies on its oil exports.
• The gross national income for the average
person is 1,160 U.S. dollars.
• Economy declining due to growing population
and demand for jobs and imports.
• Nigeria is one of the poorest countries in the
world.
Short History
• At about 700 AD, Yoruba kingdoms inhabit Nigeria.
• The Portuguese arrive at the Nigerian Coast in 1472.
• Millions of slaves are taken from Nigeria, starting in
1600 and ending about 1830.
• In the 1800s, an Islamic Nation takes over Nigeria.
• Nigeria becomes a British colony in 1914.
• The British give independence to the Nigerians in 1960.
• Since then, the control of Nigeria has been fought over
through several Coup de tat.