POST-COLONIALISM

GROUP 4
 DEFINITION
3
TERMS OF
POSTCOLONIALISM
4

AUTHOR OF HALF OF A
AGENDA YELLOW SUN
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STORY OF HALF OF A
YELLOW SUN
10
IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE
STORY
13
DEFINITION
 POST-COLONIALISM
Postcolonialism means the study of the
effects of colonialism on cultures and
colonies. It is concerned with
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European nations conquered and controlled
"Third World" cultures and how these
groups have since responded to and resisted
those encroachments.
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 TERMS OF
POSTCOLONIALISM
 COLONIALISM
The subjugation/subjection of one
culture by another. It may involve
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military conquest but extends to the
imposition of the colonizer’s values
and customs on those of the colonized
peoples.
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 THID WORLD
Developing nations, many of which
were dominated by the British Empire
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through colonialism. They have an
indigenous population once ruled by
white European oppressors and white
colonial settlers.
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 FIRST WORLD
Countries characterized by
industrialization, democracy,
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wealth and similar cultural

assumptions and beliefs, such as
the US and Europe.
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 CULTURAL COLONIZATION
The imposition of beliefs and
social practices of the Click
dominant
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power on the subjugated one,
resulting in loss or change of the
native culture
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 EUROCENTRISM
The assumption that European
ideals and experiencesClickare
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standard by which all other

cultures are to be measured and
judged inferior.
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 MIMICRY
Imitation of the dress, manners,
and language of the Click
colonizer
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(dominant) culture by the

colonized (oppressed one).

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POSTCOLONIALISM
AUTHOR
CHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE
Born in Nigeria, her work has been translated into
over thirty languages and has appeared in various
publications. She is the author of the novels Purple
Hibiscus, which won the Commonwealth Writers’
Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award; Half
of a Yellow Sun, which won the Orange Prize and
was a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
and a New York Times Notable Book; and
Americanah, which won the National Book Critics
Circle Award and was named one of The New
York Times Top Ten Best Books of 2013. Her most
recent creation is the book, Dear Ijeawele, or a
Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, was
published in March 2017.

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“HALF OF A YELLOW
SUN”
The novel takes place in Nigeria prior to and during
the Nigerian Civil War (1967–70). The effect of the
war is shown through the relationships of five
people's lives including the twin daughters of an
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influential businessman, a professor, a British expat,
and a Nigerian houseboy. After Biafra's declaration
of secession, the lives of the main characters
drastically change and are torn apart by the brutality
of the civil war and decisions in their personal lives.
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The book jumps between events that took place
during the early and late 1960s, when the war
took place, and extends until the end of the war.
In the early 1960s, the main Click characters
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picture
introduced: Ugwu, a 13-year-old village boy who
moves in with Odenigbo, to work as his
houseboy. Odenigbo frequently entertains
intellectuals to discuss the political turmoil in
Nigeria.
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 Life changes for Ugwu when Odenigbo's
girlfriend, Olanna, moves in with them. Ugwu
forms a strong bond with both of them, and is a
very loyal houseboy. Olanna has a twin
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Kainene, a woman with a dry sense of humor,
tired by the pompous company she runs for her
father. Her lover Richard is an English writer
who goes to Nigeria to explore Igbo-Ukwu art.
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Jumping four years ahead, trouble is brewing
between the Hausa and the Igbo people and hundreds
of people die in massacres, including Olanna's
beloved auntie and uncle. A new republic, called
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Biafra, is created by the Igbo. As a result of the
conflict, Olanna, Odenigbo, their young daughter,
whom they refer to only as "Baby", and Ugwu are
forced to flee Nsukka, which is the university town
and the major intellectual hub of the new nation.
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They finally end up in the refugee town of
Umuahia, where they suffer and struggle
due to food shortages, the constant air raids
and the environment of paranoia. There are
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also allusions to a conflict between Olanna

and Kainene, Richard and Kainene and
between Olanna and Odenigbo.
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When the novel jumps back to the early 1960s,
we learn that Odenigbo has slept with a village
girl, Amala, who then has his baby. Olanna is
furious at his betrayal, and sleeps with
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in a moment of liberation. She goes back to
Odenigbo and when they later learn that Amala
refused to keep her newborn daughter, Olanna
decides that they would keep her.
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During the war, Olanna, Odenigbo, Baby, and
Ugwu live with Kainene and Richard, where
Kainene was running a refugee camp. Their
situation is hopeless, as they have
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medicine. Kainene decides to trade across enemy
lines, but does not return, even after the end of
the war a few weeks later. The book ends
ambiguously, with the reader not knowing if
Kainene lives.
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IMPORTANT PARTS OF
“HALF OF A YELLOW
SUN
THEME
War and Violence - The primary
theme of the story is War. It
specifically occurred during the
Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15
January 1970), also known as the
Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran
War, was a civil war fought between
Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a
secessionist state which had declared
its independence from Nigeria in
1967.
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THEME
Love – Despite the negative
transformations each character
undergoes, love remains a crucial
aspect of their lives. Adichie includes
many romantic relationships, such as
Olanna and Odenigbo, Kainene and
Richard, and Ugwu's several crushes
and infatuations. The most important
part about love being so present in the
novel is that it complements the
historical backdrop of war and Nigeria's
political state.
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 CHARACTERS
Ugwu – The first protagonist of the novel, a young
village boy from Opi. He works as a houseboy for
Odenigbo, who helps Ugwu continue his education
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and improve his writing skills. He is a hopeless
romantic and allows love to control his life at times.
However, he undergoes a dramatic transformation
when he is forced into the Biafran army, where he
witnesses extreme violence and trauma.

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 CHARACTERS
Odenigbo – In the beginning of the novel,
Odenigbo is a Professor of Mathematics at
Nsukka University. He is considered revolutionary
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to his peers because of his support for socialism
and Pan-Africanism. After leaving Nsukka
University in the wake of the war, he actively
becomes a Biafran patriot. Odenigbo later
marries Alanna, but cheats on her with Amala.

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 CHARACTERS
Olanna Ozobia – Olanna is one of three
protagonists the novel’s storyline revolves
around. She was raised in Nigeria
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daughter of Chief Ozobia. Her beauty often
affects how men treat her, but she later finds
love with Odenigbo. Throughout the war, she
works in refugee camps and teaches children.

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 CHARACTERS
Kainene – Kainene is Olanna’s twin sister
but is quite different from her. She is
strong, responsible and independent,
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taking on her father’s business in Port
Harcourt. After seeing the brutal
conditions of the war, she decides to
open a refugee camp.
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 CHARACTERS
Richard Churchhill – Richard is an English journalist
who falls deeply in love with Kainene. His interest in
Nigeria began when he discovered ancient Igbo-
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Ukwu art and pottery. Although he feels connected
to Biafran culture, he struggles to realize he will
never be able to truly understand the suffering of
Biafran people. Richard utilizes his privilege to bring
attention to the war through his articles.

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POST-COLONIALISM
GROUP 4
 ODENIGBO
“The real tragedy of the postcolonial world is
that the majority of people had no say in
whether or not they wanted this new world;
rather, it is that the majority have not been
given the tools to negotiate this new world.”

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 thank you !
GROUP 4: POSTCOLONIALISM