Things Fall Apart By Chinua Achebe

As the acclaimed author of Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe once said, “Art has a social purpose [and] art belongs to the people… The total life of a man is reflected in his art” (Popova). These words hold true in Ibo culture, for whom the presence of art is essential. The tribe often uses masks, carvings, and tattoos as forms of artistic expression (“Igbo”). Tattoos are essential to Ibo culture as they convey the tribe’s identity.
Yams signify honor and masculinity, traits the Ibo idolize. Achebe confirms this as he writes, “His mother and sisters worked hard enough, but they grew women’s crops… Yam, the king of crops, was a man’s crop” (Achebe 23). The corresponding design contains the okodee mmowere and wawa aba, signifying bravery and
strength, representative of masculinity. Conversely, it uses the duafe, or “wooden comb,” representing femininity.
The next tattoo represents nature.
Achebe writes “Sometimes the sun shone through the rain and a light breeze blew… The rainbow began to appear, and sometimes two rainbows, like a mother and her daughter…” (Achebe 163) to depict the harmony of nature. The tattoo design conveys the Ibo tribe’s balanced perception of nature with the osram ne nsoromma, or “the moon and star” and the nsoromma, or “child of the heavens” (“Adinkra Index”).
Achebe claims that art reflects the totality of one’s life. The next tattoo depicts the importance of kola nuts in Ibo life with the bese saka, or “sack of kola nuts,” signifying wealth, and the adinkrahene, “the chief of adinkra symbols,” to demonstrate the strength of the kola nut in Ibo culture (“Adinkra Index”). The symbolism reigns true as a character in Things Fall Apart says “‘He who brings kola brings life’” (Achebe 6).
Next, the goat is a facet the Ibo people cherish. Things Fall Apart reveals the goat’s significance, describing its use in Ibo traditions when Achebe writes, “Obierika had sent one of his relatives all the way to Umuike to buy that goat. It was the one he would present alive to his in-laws” (Achebe 113). Furthermore, the corresponding design synthesizes the dwennimmen, or “ram’s horns,” the mmusuyidee, kete pa, signifying a good fortune (“Adinkra
Index”). To refer to the words of Chinua Achebe once again, “art belongs to the people” and the people revere the python. Chinua Achebe writes in Things Fall Apart, “The royal python was the most revered animal in Mbanta… It was addressed as ‘Our Father…” (Achebe 157). The tattoo conveys this significance with the owo foro adobe, or “snake climbing the rafia tree,” as well as nyame dua and nyame ye ohene, symbolizing godliness (“Adinkra Index”). Lastly, to depict the significance of the cock to the Ibo tribe, the last tattoo design uses the akoko nan, or “legs of a hen,” , as well as the eban, and the akoma, or “the heart,” to depict love (“Adinkra Index”). Achebe describes the purposeful use of the cock in marriage rituals as he writes “At first the bride was not among them. But when she finally appeared holding a cock in her right hand, a loud cheer rose from the crowd” (Achebe 118).
Chinua Achebe describes the true worth of art. He claims that art has a social purpose and reflects the totality of one’s life. Reflecting their life, culture, and beliefs, Ibo tattoos, truly portray one’s identity. The words of Chinua Achebe and the art of the Ibo tribe epitomize the common quote, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”