Introduction
People often hold quite opposing views on colonization and the specific effects that the key historical cases of colonization had on poorly developed areas. Thus, some individuals believe such events are the means of establishing authority over the colonized nations, depriving them of their rights, freedom, established norms, satisfactory life, traditions, and religious views. At the same time, for many other people, colonization equals the enhancement of quality of life because people from poorly developed areas learn modern ways of learning, working, and living. This duality is discussed by a great Nigerian writer, Wole Soyinka, in his 1981 autobiographical novel Aké: The Years of Childhood. This memoir demonstrates that people in colonies often used the knowledge and tools they received to oppose the new order and protect their rights.
Giles-Vernick discusses this memoir and states it “provided a particular glimpse into the direct and indirect ways that British colonialism could shape education and families, and the varied ways in which African women and men could negotiate and reshape these influences” (272). Therefore, in his Aké: The Years of Childhood, Soyinka shows that British colonial rule changed Africans’ conceptions of and practices surrounding religious views, family, and education.
Religion
To begin with, it is essential to review how the religious aspect is covered in the book. One may notice that the key idea conveyed by Soyinka is that colonization brings its own religion to the existing beliefs of the colonized, and this mixture often results in the creation of a new faith that local people accept. The novel’s protagonist, the author himself, was raised by his Christian parents and surrounded by numerous manifestations of these religious views introduced by British colonial rule. However, Christianity is mixed with the faith of the indigenous Yoruba, and the boy is often confused when seeing it.
For example, Soyinka writes: “The stained-glass windows behind the altar of St Peter’s church displayed the figures of three white men dressed in robes, which were very clearly egúngún robes. Their faces were exposed, which was very unlike our own egúngún, but I felt that this was something peculiar to the country from which those white people came. After all, Osiki had explained that there were many different kinds of Egungun” (32).
This passage shows that the boy is confused, but the impacts of other people, including the effects of colonization, prevent him from rejecting Christianity. Instead, noticing this fusion of the British religion and traditional African beliefs, the protagonist finds a suitable explanation for himself (Soyinka 33). Further, there is a scene in which the readers can see how some adults in the colonial Aké discarded their traditional customs and strived to maintain their households entirely Christian. The protagonist wants to participate in a special African event, honoring the spirits of the dead (Soyinka 31). However, his mother becomes quite concerned as she learns about this idea:
‘You want to what?’ It was Mother, her voice raised in alarm. ‘Did I hear you say you want to go and watch egúngún in his compound?’
‘Osiki will take me,’ I said.
‘Osiki is taking you nowhere. Better not even let your father hear you’ (Soyinka 32).
The boy’s parents are strongly against the possibility of their son becoming a part of African ideologies and beliefs. Being raised by his Christian mother and father and impacted by his traditionally spiritual grandfather, the protagonist is confused and tries to find a proper balance between these views and religions. Although he wants to learn more about his ancestors’ values and faith, and admires the African beliefs, he is still a Christian:
‘Can I come back as an egúngún if I die?’ I asked Osiki.
‘I don’t think so,’ he said. ‘I’ve never heard of any Christian becoming an egúngún’ (Soyinka 32).
Therefore, British colonial rule introduced the people of Nigeria to their religious system, and many accepted these new views and traditions.
Family
The second aspect to consider is family, and one might notice some changes in its structure and the roles of family members. To begin with, in Soyinka’s family, there is more equality between his mother and father than was common for pre-colonial households. Although his mother often asks Essay for advice, solves problems together, and highly respects him, she can still address some challenges herself and has great authority over the children (Soyinka 32, 185).
Additionally, Essay himself differs from a typical patriarchal figure and has many features of a Western father (Ennin 267). He promotes his wife’s participation in the rights movement and does not prevent her from being an active woman instead of merely a housemaid. Furthermore, readers may notice that the boy’s relatives have close-knit relationships. Soyinka considers some other important people to be a part of their family (12).
At the same time, the family model becomes more nuclear, and it is seen that Soyinka’s grandfather does not have much impact on Essay and Wild Christian. He would probably want to educate his grandson about all the elements and values of the traditional African culture and religion, but does not insist greatly, knowing that his parents are against this idea (Soyinka 140). Therefore, British colonial rule made the family structure more nuclear and provided more freedom to females. However, it continued to promote close relationships.
Education
Lastly, it is essential to review the effects of colonialism on education in Africa. The author closely examines and describes the education system during those years, highlighting the striking contrast between the impact of local traditions and British teaching methods. According to Giles-Vernick, Soyinka explores an interesting duality of people’s perceptions (272).
On the one hand, they embrace the Western education system and recognize its power and value. On the other hand, males and females in the town remain highly critical of British rule, emphasizing its negative features and influences (Giles-Vernick 272; Soyinka 224). Therefore, the author provides an example of how some local people perceived the schools rather adversely and with doubts, still providing this Western education to their kids (Soyinka 186-187).
While they understand that the new education system is advantageous and strong, Soyinka writes that they are concerned with the fact that white teachers cannot impart the right type of character to the pupils (191). Overall, it is possible to say that British colonial rule made the people of Nigeria appreciate education more.
The author mentions the shift from informal learning, in which traditional values were promoted, to formal education with Western curricula and teaching methods. White teachers are concerned about some people in the book, but education is considered highly necessary. For example, Soyinka’s father tells him to always pursue education, aiming to study in the best school (162). Under the impact of British rule, the locals began to view learning more as a means of achieving prosperity and success further in their lives than as a way to promote their religious and cultural values among the youth.
Furthermore, one needs to mention that Western education provides people with better tools and knowledge to protect their rights and change the situations that do not satisfy them. For instance, Giles-Vernick refers to the women in the memoir using their skills and knowledge received through formal education to become more authoritative and “express their grievances against the colonial administration” (280). Therefore, although new teaching methods and systems excluded the promotion of traditional ideological and cultural principles, people started to value education more, receiving effective tools to improve their lives.
Conclusion
To conclude, one may see that the effects of British colonialism are evident in education, family, and religion. Although people in Aké recognize the value and power of the Western education system and methods, they continue to critique British rule. Referring to religion, the traditional faith and customs of Africans mix with the Christian ideology, and Soyinka can see a somewhat new religion emerging from these two. However, many adults accept the British faith and spread these values among their kids. As for the family, the role and rights of women improved, and the structure became more nuclear.
Works Cited
Ennin, Theresah Patrine. “Memory, Innocence and Nostalgia: Other Versions of African Childhood in Two African Texts.” Journal of the British Academy, vol. 10, no. 2, 2022, pp. 265-281.
Giles-Vernick, Tamara. “Wole Soyinka’s Aké: The Years of Childhood.” African Novels in the Classroom, edited by Margaret Jean Hay, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000.
Soyinka, Wole. Aké: The Years of Childhood. Vintage Books, 1981.