Proverbs and, in fact, the general language used in Chinua Achebe’s “things fall apart” was nothing short of an elaborated and decorated lingo. Language formed a very crucial part of the entire narrative and served as a tool in the author’s expression of the richness of African knowledge.
Intrapersonal act of communication has, since time immemorial, been a part of human lives. This act of physically and actively engaging with each other has served individual and communal purposes like informing, building relations, and making decisions, especially in an African traditional setting as illustrated in the Umuofia society. In doing so, several pithy comments are usually thrown around when referring to general truths, consciously educating or when giving advice to listeners. This language style is prevalent in the African traditional lingual hence its common use in several chapters of Achebe’s book.
The character, Ogbuefi Ezuengo, who was portrayed as an excellent wordsmith was revered and accorded a lot of respect. His level of linguistic intelligence, basically due to his use of proverbs, made him stand out. It was essentially a validation of his level of intellect. As a Ghanaian, I can attest to the level of accord given to people who are able to decipher proverbs, otherwise known as wise sayings, in our local societies. Proverbs and their use in conversations are considered a sign of knowledge and intelligence.
Unoka’s neighbor, Okoye, whom Okwonko had considered a coward because he could not stand the sight of blood, survived Okwonko’s list of failures because he had a barn of yam, three wives and was a “great talker.” “Among the Ibo, the art of conversation is considered very highly, and proverbs are the palm-wine on which words are eaten,” the author explained, reiterating how essential proverbs were in conversations.
It is however sad to note how slowly the use of proverbs has died in the daily conversations of many people, especially among the African generations Z and Alpha. The infiltration of foreign culture has had a tremendous impact on the use and appreciation of native language which is drenched in proverbs. The use of proverbs is considered primitive and backwards in our modern world.
We could see this play out in the latter section of the story where the District Commissioner was stated making light of the language style he had witnessed with the Ibos. “One of the most infuriating habits of these people was their love of superfluous words,” he said, while talking to Obierika. With the introduction of such new structures like the district commissioner’s office as well as the church, Umuofia, a rather traditional community, began to lose its way of life in several ways. A typical example is Nwoye, who on constant pressure from his father to be more boisterous, joined the church as a safety net and hence began to lose most of his culture.
Chinua Achebe himself can be considered as a victim of the new order. In his use of typical Nigerian idioms and several other figures of speech, he had to translate it to English not only for his international but local audience to understand.
It was, however, fulfilling to see the resurgence of proverbs and other traditional figures of speech play out in African literature like “things fall apart,” expressing the wealth of African philosophy.
