blessing_aj's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I remember reading The Trouble With Nigeria, many years ago and thinking that Achebe’s audacity has to be the loudest one of the Nigerian writers of his generation. This collection affirms that thought. He is brutally honest and very articulate in each essay and I love how much veneration he gives to the Igbo culture in his thought process.
chairmanbernanke's review against another edition
3.0
A nice collection of Achebe’s essays, illuminating his varied and interesting thoughts.
elizabeth_usen22's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
sar_p's review against another edition
3.0
As always with a collection of essays, I liked some a lot more than others. I also enjoyed his _Hopes and Impediments_ more.
mario_dimoser's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
As a lot of the essays were lectures originally, it worked it really well as an audio book. That Achebes thinking is insightful goes without saying.
readingnomad's review against another edition
5.0
Chinua Achebe had the ability to discuss complex subjects with so much clarity. This was displayed in his essay collection, The Education of a British-Protected Child.
I have deep appreciation for this collection because he spoke truth to power addressing political issues - amongst other subjects - despite living in an time when freedom of speech was a myth. In 17 personal essays, he passionately takes us through his thoughts and experiences around racism, identity, the legacy of colonisation and imperialism. His deep understanding of his Igbo heritage is on full display through his use of traditional philosophies like Mbari.
A dominant subject in this collection and one he never shied away from is colonisation. He discusses critically how the “project” contributed to the deliberately skewed image of Africa. The central drive to ridicule the claim that Africa was this far off uncharted territory with no history was glaring in his easy “Africa’s Tarnished Name”.
I see much of Achebe’s thoughts on today’s mainstream topics; the legacy of colonisation, Africans controlling their narrative, diaspora relations with Africa, identity and language politics. Overall, this is a brilliant thought provoking collection filled with gems, intellectual drag (Joseph Conrad was dragged for filth) sprinkled with humour. Definitely worth your time!
I have deep appreciation for this collection because he spoke truth to power addressing political issues - amongst other subjects - despite living in an time when freedom of speech was a myth. In 17 personal essays, he passionately takes us through his thoughts and experiences around racism, identity, the legacy of colonisation and imperialism. His deep understanding of his Igbo heritage is on full display through his use of traditional philosophies like Mbari.
A dominant subject in this collection and one he never shied away from is colonisation. He discusses critically how the “project” contributed to the deliberately skewed image of Africa. The central drive to ridicule the claim that Africa was this far off uncharted territory with no history was glaring in his easy “Africa’s Tarnished Name”.
I see much of Achebe’s thoughts on today’s mainstream topics; the legacy of colonisation, Africans controlling their narrative, diaspora relations with Africa, identity and language politics. Overall, this is a brilliant thought provoking collection filled with gems, intellectual drag (Joseph Conrad was dragged for filth) sprinkled with humour. Definitely worth your time!
thatothernigeriangirl's review
5.0
The Education of a British-Protected Child is a collection of 16 essays that Achebe wrote and delivered during his lifetime and the first thing I took away from this collection is that Achebe had RANGE!!!
He wrote like an African elder (rightfully so) by imbibing lots of adages and relatable/everyday examples to drive home his points.
Although each essay was delivered at different events/ instances, you can pick out similar themes: one, Achebe was in a love-hate relationship with Nigeria ( he was its biggest cheerleader and critic); two, Achebe embodied Igbo/Nigerian/African pride in his life and writings; three, Achebe really REALLY disliked Joseph Conrad (largely because Conrad was the quintessence of how the typical problematic white man saw Africa).
Achebe also brought a lot of receipts in these essays. He didn’t shoot down biases and racism with mere sentiments, instead, he used their own words, people and history books, again, to thoroughly drive home his points. That’s another additional lesson I learnt from this book— to unlearn a lot of biases ingrained in the African history written by the white man. One account that stood out to me in “Spelling Our Proper Names” and “Africa is People”, is one found in the Portuguese history where a Bukongo king, Dom Afonso, who learnt to speak and write Portuguese in a very short period and forged an alliance with King John III of Portugal.
King Afonso then used these tools to try and stop the kidnapping and enslavement of his people by Portuguese sailor. I was shocked when I read this because for the longest time, all we’ve read in books is how “greedy Africans” sold their own people into slavery and this narrative continues to drive a wedge between Africans and the diaspora.
It is a classic case of blaming the victim for their victimization. If a remarkable king like Afonso strove to prevent the enslavement of his people, imagine how many other leaders across the continent did the same.
I highly — with emphasis— recommend this collection, especially if you’re African. May I just reiterate that Achebe really dragged Conrad for writing his ridiculous novel, Heart of Darkness?
natsomji's review against another edition
5.0
Once again, Chinua Achebe manages to bring a humanist perspective to rethinking perceived notions of Africa and questioning existing and often unconscious biases. Most of all, he paints a path for what should be Africa's future if only we can find a way to view the continent on equal footing to the West.
writetoexpress's review against another edition
4.0
In Chinua Achebe’s essay, “Politics and Politicians of Language in African Literature”, Achebe defends his use of writing in English despite being an African writer. He acknowledges Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's argument. However, Achebe believes “that the culprit in Africa’s language difficulties… was the linguistic pluralism of modern African states” (106). Since Africa is such a large continent, it was nearly impossible for one community to communicate with another if neither spoke the same language. Achebe further argues that English was not despised nor forced upon everyone in Africa. He mentioned how Kikuyu peasants were “revolting and breaking away because they prefer[ed] English” (104). Achebe, too, presents his own views on what African literature is composed of and what it means to be an African writer.
Achebe admires those who utilize both their mother language and the English language. Achebe begins his counterargument by defending his use of English, stating, “I write in English. English is a world language. But I do not write in English because it is a world language” (100). Achebe writes in English to make a statement on the cultural aspect of Africa. Rather being confined to a region in Africa, Achebe expands his reach through the English language. Achebe views English as a lingua franca, which unites different languages through a common language. It is a way to communicate and unite with the neighboring communities.
Achebe admires those who utilize both their mother language and the English language. Achebe begins his counterargument by defending his use of English, stating, “I write in English. English is a world language. But I do not write in English because it is a world language” (100). Achebe writes in English to make a statement on the cultural aspect of Africa. Rather being confined to a region in Africa, Achebe expands his reach through the English language. Achebe views English as a lingua franca, which unites different languages through a common language. It is a way to communicate and unite with the neighboring communities.