Monday, June 20, 2016

About the Author


Early Life: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Enugu, Nigeria in 1977. She grew up in Nsukka with her parents Grace Ifeoma and James Nwoye Adichie and her six siblings. She grew up in the house formerly occupied by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. Her father was a professor at the University of Nigeria.


Education: After high school, Adichie studied pharmacy at the University of Nigeria. She moved to America at age 19 and enrolled in Drexel University for two years. She proceeded on to Eastern Connecticut State University and graduated with a degree in communications in 2001. She received her masters in creative writing from Johns Hopkins. She has earned her MA in African Studies from Yale and has been awarded fellowships at both Princeton and Harvard. She received the Medal of Distinction from Barnard in 2016.


As a Writer: Adichie has written three novels as well as a collection of short stories. Her first novel Purple Hibiscus was published in 2003. Purple Hibiscus as well as her other novels Half of a Yellow Sun and Americanah have been critically acclaimed in countries around the world. Her novels have been translated into over thirty languages. She has won 14 Literary awards among her three novels and short stories.


Ted Talks:
Adichie informs her audience of the “Danger of a Single Story” in this Ted Talk. She warns the dangers of stereotyping and listening to one sided stories, "The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but they are incomplete." She supplements this with personal experience from her life growing up in Nigeria.


We Should All Be Feminists:
Adichie takes a stand on feminism in this Ted Talk, “We Should All Be Feminists.” She expands on gender inequality in both America and her home country Nigeria. The popularity of this TEDx Talk led to an essay adaptation, and was also used as a source of inspiration for Beyonce’s song “Flawless.”








Law
Sources:







http://msmagazine.com/blog/2014/06/06/chimamanda-to-ms-im-very-feminist-in-the-way-i-look-at-the-world/
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The Igbo Language and Culture

The Igbo Language





    Igbo is one of the five major languages in modern Nigeria, with the others being Hausa, Yoruba, Fula and English Creole. The national language of Nigeria is technically English even though Hausa is the most widely spoken language. Igbo is mainly spoken in southeastern Nigeria by some 20 million people. Many different dialects exist within the Igbo language and even though the first evidence of an advanced Igbo language dates back to the 9th century, the language was not standardized until the 20th century. Within this language, many words are formed by smaller words and the tone of which identically written words are spoken can change their meaning entirely.


Igbo Vocabulary in Purple Hibiscus
Phrases
Abumonye n'uwa, onyekambu n'uwa: “Am I who in the world, who am I in this life?”                  
Amam: "I know"
Amarom: "I don't know"
Anam asi: "Am saying"
Biko: “Please”
Bunie ya enu…: "Lift him/her high up"---referring to Jesus Christ
Chelu nu: Hold your horses (idiom)
Chelukwa!: Hold on a moment
Ekwuzina: "Stop saying that!"
Ezi okwu: “Is that true?” “Honestly?” “It is true!”
Gini mezia: "What happened then?"
Ifukwa: "you see!" "Do you see?"
Ke kwanu?: “How do you do?”
Kedu: How are you? (singular)
Kedu nu?: How are you all? (plural)
Kpa: “Like this?"
Mba: “No.”
Nne, ngwa: “Come on, dear.”
Nno nu: “Welcome” (plural)
O di egwu: “Yeah! It is scary!”
O gini?: “What is it?”
O maka: “It is so beautiful.”


Terms
Agbogho: short for Agboghobia; young lady, maiden
Agwonatumbe: "The snake that strikes the tortoise" (i.e. despite the shell/shield)--the name of a masquerade at Aro festival
Aja: sand or the ritual of appeasing an oracle
Aku: winged termites, common during the rainy season; also means wealth.
Akwam ozu: Funeral/ grief ritual or send-off ceremonies for the dead
Aro: Spear referring to Aro-Igbo people, short for Arochukwu
Aro festival: The main cultural festival of Aro people known for its fierce masquerades
Asusu anya: Eye language
Atilogu: A form of Igbo acrobatic dance performance
Atulu: Sheep/lamb--insinuating stupidity, dumb, a fool
Azu: Fish
Big man, Big Oga or Big people: Powerful, wealthy, influential, high status in the community, large (ex. Head of state)
Chukwu: God
Dim: my husband
Kwa: also
Kobo: Nigerian Currency, cents
Harmattan: dry, dusty West African trade wind, blows south from Sahara into Gulf of Guinea between the end of November and the middle of March (winter)
Mmuo: spirits, separated between good and bad
NEPA: Nigerian Electric Power Company
Naira: Nigerian Currency, dollar
Nwunye m: My wife
O bugodi: dispel
Ogbunambala: one who kills in public with courage
Okada: motorcycle taxi
Omelora: one who does for the community
Unu: you (plural)


Akara
Cultural Food
Akamu: Pap made from corn; like English custard made from corn starch; a common and standard accompaniment to Nigerian breakfasts
Akara: Bean cake/Pea fritters made from fried ground black-eyed pea paste. A staple Nigerian veggie burger
Anara: Garden egg (Eggplant)
Anara leaf: Garden egg leaf---a slightly bitter green leafy vegetable
Bournvita: A popular chocolate beverage food-drink manufactured by Cadbury that became the breakfast symbol of the affluent in Nigeria
Egusi Soup: Ground Melon seed is used as thickened for this popular Nigerian soup
Eju: snail, escargot
Fufu: go in hot water and either cassava or plantain flour, usually served with soup, common in the West and Central Africa, thick paste or porridge usually made by boiling starchy root vegetables in water and pounding with a large stick and bowl until the desired consistency is reached, made from cassava, yam, and sometimes combined with cocoyam, plantains, or maize
Garri: dried cassava flour Garri (aka tapioca) made from cassava tubers
Jellof Rice: Paella-like dish of rice made with tomatoes, peppers, spices and meats
Moi-moi
Maggi Cubes: Maggi brand bouillon cubes
Moi-moi: A Nigerian steamed bean pudding made from black-eyed beans, onions, and black pepper
Okporoko: Imported dried Norwegian stock fish
Onugbu soup: favorite Igbo soup made with Onugbu, a bitter green leaf vegetable
Palm oil: Red oil expressed from Palm fruit, used in cooking and frying
Palm wine: alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm trees.


Names & Meanings
Ade Coker: Ade, Yoruba male name meaning "crown" or "royal one." Lagosians are known to adopt foreign names (i.e. Coker)
Amadi: “Free man”
Amaka: Short form of female name Chiamaka meaning "God is beautiful"
Chima: “God Knows” or “Only God Knows Best”
Chinwe: Chinwe = “God’s own/ God owns”; Jideze = “hold onto Royalty”
Chukwuka (Jaja):   "God is the greatest" or "God is paramount"
Ifeoma: "Good thing" or "That which is good and beautiful"
Kambili: “Let me live”
Papa-Nnukwu:  Grandpa, Grandfather. Nnukwu means "large, grand"
Obiora: "Heart of the people or community"


Important Cities/Towns
Abuja: Capital of Nigeria
Abba: Where Papa and Aunty Ifeoma were raised. Kambili’s family visits here once a year for Christmas.
Aokpe: A tiny village in Benue. In Purple Hibiscus it was said that the Blessed Virgin appeared here.
Awka Town: Ancient Igbo town known for its contribution to pan Igbo civilization via Awka traveling blacksmiths
Enugu: “Hilltop Town” An Igbo cosmopolitan city; Former capital of the Eastern Region. This is where Kambili’s family lives throughout the year.
Nsukka: Where Aunty Ifeoma and her children live. Kambili and Jaja visit here multiple times and see it as a safe haven.

Sources Used
 
By Rachel, Jess M, and Maija


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Friday, June 17, 2016

Traditions in Africa

Traditional African woman


  1. Spiritual power
  • woman were often in charge of the spiritual figures
  • also responsible for announcing where ceremonies were take place and what events would occur during them
  • had power to replace or remove curses
  • dominant feminine energy in the spiritual sphere helped o ensure that women were respected in society.
http://africanwomenculture.blogspot.com/2011/04/african-womens-role-in-society-and.html



Education
  • lack of political will to provide woman with equal access to education
  • woman were not allowed education because it would make them "too independent" and not allow them to properly tend to their family and home.
  • poor family's first provide the male child with the opportunities to claim whatever education is available
  • The drop out rate in Tanzania was half for girls ages twelve to fourteen leaving school because of pregnancy.
  • woman were taught how to care for the home and children, and how to preserve the beauty of girlhood.
http://archive.une.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu37we/uu37we0t.htm

Bridal Marriage Traditions
  • arranged marriages are common. Usually the family's will arrange who their children will marry.
  • in Egypt the bride gets henna tattoos with religious symbols on their hands and feet
  • In Kenya an older woman teaches the bride how to satisfy her husband. She will hide under their bed incase and unexpected problem arises.
  • Polygamous marriages are common in Niger
  • in Igbo weddings traditionally an elder presents a "Ofo" (a wooden stick) to the couple that symbolizes unity, truth, and indestructibility.

http://traditionscustoms.com/wedding-traditions/african-wedding-traditions































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Nigerian History

History of Nigeria
Many aspects of Nigerian history impact the plot development of Purple Hibiscus. From the father's conversion to catholicism resulting from British influence, to military coups affecting the universities and newspapers, history played a major role in the some of the largest events in the novel.


Colonization:
  • British influence in the Niger area increased gradually over the 19th century, but Britain did not effectively occupy the area until 1885, and then under competition from France and Germany. The colonial period proper in Nigeria lasted from 1900 to 1960.
  • In 1900 the Royal Niger Company's charter was revoked and British forces under Frederick Lugard began to conquer the north, taking Sokoto in 1903. By 1906, Britain controlled Nigeria, which was divided into the Colony (i.e., Lagos) and Protectorate of Southern Nigeria and the Protectorate of Northern Nigeria.




Image result for nigerian historyNigerian Coups:
  • January 1966-  Coup carried out by Igbo officers, including Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna,  among others
  • July 1966- AKA Nigerian Counter-Coup of 1966, Major-General Gowon succeed Ironsi. It lasted from July 28 to July 30th1966
  • 1975- General Yakubu Gowon was brought down in a palace coup, and Brigadier Murtala Muhammed gained power as Head of State
  • 1976- “Dimka Coup”, a bloody coup which led to the assassination of General Murtala Muhammed,  Lt General Olusegun Obasanjo then became Head of State
  • 1983- Led by a group of senior army officers who overthrew the democratically elected government of President Shehu Shagari. Major General Buhari was appointed Head of State by the conspirators.
  • August 1985- A palace coup led by Chief of Army Staff, Major General Ibrahim Babangida who overthrew the administration of Major General Muhammadu Buhari.
  • Vatsa coup of December 1985- Hundreds of military officers were arrested, some were tried, convicted and eventually executed for conspiring to overthrow the Babangida administration. The conspirators were alleged to have been led by Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa.
  • 1990- Major Gideon Orkar staged a violent and failed attempt to overthrow the government of General Ibrahim Babangida.
  • 1993-  Babangida resigned and appointed Ernest Shonekan as interim president. This  only lasted three months, as a palace coup led by General Sani Abacha. In September 1994, Abacha issued a decree that placed his government above the jurisdiction of the courts, effectively giving him absolute power
  • Modern day Nigeria is seemingly democratic, since there has not been a coup since 1999. But, because the military was so prevalent for so many years, the imprint from the military is still very evident in Nigeria.
  • In an unstable government many young men turned to the army as a job of significance


Image result for nigerian coups







Independence:
  • October 1, 1960=  received complete independence from Britain
  • Established parliamentary government under new constitution
  • Today the current Head of state is President Muhammadu Buhari
  • Very large gap between wealthy and poor sections of the country/ some towns are extremely modernized with factories and developed country amenities while other sections are still extremely underdeveloped
    • Shown through the contrast between Kambili’s family vs Aunty Ifeoma and the grandfather
Image result for nigerian independence














Current Change
  • 2000 - Adoption of Islamic, or Sharia, law by several northern states in the face of opposition from Christians.
  • 2009 - The Boko Haram Islamist movement launches a campaign of violence which drags on for years and spreads to neighbouring countries. One high-profile incident involves the kidnapping of 200 school girls in 2014.
  • 2015 - an opposition candidate won against a sitting president for the first time


Freedom House Rating

Status

Partly Free

Freedom Rating

4.5

Civil Liberties

5

Political Rights

4
        *Scale: 1= best, 7= worst




Lauren, Gillian, Taylor
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