Why Achebe Chose The Setting of TFA

Achebe has set the plot of his novel prior to and during the arrival of colonial administrators in Nigeria. Being a part of the movement for the independence of Nigeria, the arrival of the colonial administrators are the first thing he should be opposing of. Achebe wanted to show the audience Nigerian life in the purest form, what life in Nigeria was like prior to its colonization. He wants to demonstrate that the colonizers has not brought civilization to the Nigerians, but that they have in fact lived under their own civil order prior to the arrival of the colonials who have caused the order to fall apart. Considering that Africa and Achebe's culture is also represented with complexity in English Literature, Achebe aims to reestablish that idea by depicting Nigerian culture in its purest form, by having the setting of the story to be prior the colonization period, since the civilization of Nigeria in the pre colonization period was not that great. As for the setting during the period, perhaps, the reason why Achebe chose to set this setting is that so he is able to present the audience of what has been the drive that has motivated him to fight for independence of his homeland, and that drive is the colonization of Nigeria by the British. He wants to show the audience the things that has been done by the colonizers, both positive aspects, such as unifying the country as a whole and providing the locals with various aids and guidance to achieve modern civilizations, as well as the negative aspects such as the taking away of the native culture by the introduction of Christianity and the enhancement of the slave trade of local Nigerians. In addition to that, Achebe also has a hybrid identity of being an Igbo and a Christian, influenced by the arrival of the missionaries, so he is a part of both parties, a native Nigerian ethnic group and a foreign belief introduced by the colonizers. Since he is a nationalistic and proud Igbo, but at the same time he is also a Christian which is not a part of the initial Igbo culture, he is in a conflicting situation where his nativity collides with his foreign beliefs. This plays a role into his decision of the setting of the play because he is able to explore the two different aspects that has formed his identity, and as a result, allowing him to also learn about himself, where he came from and how the origins of his identity plays a role in history. In this case, he is able to explore Nigeria's history during the pre colonization and the colonization period and how the relationship between the two varying aspects of his identity.