Must Be Crazy
The way that Non-Africans tend to view the continent of Africa is often unbecoming and strewed. When the continent is mentioned, the image of Africans being uncivilized, illiterate, and simply backwards may be some of the first characteristics of Africa to come to thought. This portrayal of Africans leads to the belief that in order to prosper, Western salvation is needed in Africa. These thoughts have been programmed into the minds of Non-Africans because of publications such as “The Gods Must Be Crazy,” which portray African’s using these stereotypes. “The Gods Must Be Crazy” is a South African comedy film released in 1980. The film portrays the African characters as undeveloped, uncivilized, and ultimately in need of Western …show more content…
The story, which has been told since the 1200s, conveys the story of the life of a hero by the name of Sundiata. The story was told by griots, which are story-tellers expected to preserve law and tradition through their remembrances and history songs. Griots were used in combination with kings to uphold and create history. The fact that an African society could be specialized enough to need a griot juxtaposes the ignorant portrayal of Africans provided by “The Gods Must Be Crazy”. The story begins with Naré Maghann Konaté, a Mandinka king. Naré is approached by a hunter, who tells him that if marries an ugly woman and has a child with her, his son would be one of the greatest kings. Time passes, and destiny leads Naré to an ugly, hunchbacked woman by the name of the Sogolon. Soon they marry and give birth to Sundiata Keita. Throughout his childhood, Sundiata lacked the ability to walk. When he was finally gifted with the control of his lower limbs, Naré’s first wife became jealous and sought to kill him, so her son could then become king. Sogolon then decided for her and her children to leave the city, in attempt to save her son’s life in hopes that he could one day return and become the king he was destined to be. Several years later, when it was time for Sundiata to return home, he put together an army. His army used weapons, traveled, and even …show more content…
Achebe begins by elaborating on the close proximity of Africa and Europe, stating that although Europe and Africa are close, the temperatures are different. This explains the difference of skin color in Europeans and Africans. However, “there is no way in which such differences as do exist could satisfactorily explain the profound perception of alienness which Africa has come to represent for Europe” (Achebe, 13). Achebe claims that the view of Africans as “aliens” is because Europeans (and others) fail to see Africans as human. Achebe accredits this inhumane view of Africans to colonialism and slave trade. When “slave trade was under attack, the most derogatory writing about Africa came from it’s literary defenders” (Achebe, 14). To justify slavery, Africa was portrayed as a land of cannibals and savages. African people were thought to be immoral, evil, and ultimately in need of the slave trade to save them from themselves. Because of this, people have “invented an Africa where nothing good ever happens or ever happened, an Africa that has not been discovered yet and is waiting for the first European to explore it and explain it and straighten up” (Achebe, 18). This quote can easily be related back to the scene in “The Gods Must Be Crazy” where the African community was
The way that Non-Africans tend to view the continent of Africa is often unbecoming and strewed. When the continent is mentioned, the image of Africans being uncivilized, illiterate, and simply backwards may be some of the first characteristics of Africa to come to thought. This portrayal of Africans leads to the belief that in order to prosper, Western salvation is needed in Africa. These thoughts have been programmed into the minds of Non-Africans because of publications such as “The Gods Must Be Crazy,” which portray African’s using these stereotypes. “The Gods Must Be Crazy” is a South African comedy film released in 1980. The film portrays the African characters as undeveloped, uncivilized, and ultimately in need of Western …show more content…
The story, which has been told since the 1200s, conveys the story of the life of a hero by the name of Sundiata. The story was told by griots, which are story-tellers expected to preserve law and tradition through their remembrances and history songs. Griots were used in combination with kings to uphold and create history. The fact that an African society could be specialized enough to need a griot juxtaposes the ignorant portrayal of Africans provided by “The Gods Must Be Crazy”. The story begins with Naré Maghann Konaté, a Mandinka king. Naré is approached by a hunter, who tells him that if marries an ugly woman and has a child with her, his son would be one of the greatest kings. Time passes, and destiny leads Naré to an ugly, hunchbacked woman by the name of the Sogolon. Soon they marry and give birth to Sundiata Keita. Throughout his childhood, Sundiata lacked the ability to walk. When he was finally gifted with the control of his lower limbs, Naré’s first wife became jealous and sought to kill him, so her son could then become king. Sogolon then decided for her and her children to leave the city, in attempt to save her son’s life in hopes that he could one day return and become the king he was destined to be. Several years later, when it was time for Sundiata to return home, he put together an army. His army used weapons, traveled, and even …show more content…
Achebe begins by elaborating on the close proximity of Africa and Europe, stating that although Europe and Africa are close, the temperatures are different. This explains the difference of skin color in Europeans and Africans. However, “there is no way in which such differences as do exist could satisfactorily explain the profound perception of alienness which Africa has come to represent for Europe” (Achebe, 13). Achebe claims that the view of Africans as “aliens” is because Europeans (and others) fail to see Africans as human. Achebe accredits this inhumane view of Africans to colonialism and slave trade. When “slave trade was under attack, the most derogatory writing about Africa came from it’s literary defenders” (Achebe, 14). To justify slavery, Africa was portrayed as a land of cannibals and savages. African people were thought to be immoral, evil, and ultimately in need of the slave trade to save them from themselves. Because of this, people have “invented an Africa where nothing good ever happens or ever happened, an Africa that has not been discovered yet and is waiting for the first European to explore it and explain it and straighten up” (Achebe, 18). This quote can easily be related back to the scene in “The Gods Must Be Crazy” where the African community was