BOOK REVIEW

ANALYSIS OF THE LAST OF THE STRONG ONES BY AKACHI ADIMORA-EZEIGBO USING THE CRITICAL THEORY OF COLONIALISM

 

       Jurgen Osterhammel defines colonialism as "A relationship between an indigenous (or forcible imported) majority and a minority of foreign invaders. The fundamental decisions affecting the lives of the colonized people are made and implemented by the colonial rulers in pursuit of interest that are often defined in a distant metropolis. Rejecting cultural compromises with the colonized population, the colonizers are convinced of their own superiority and their ordained mandate to rule."
     Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo in The Last of the Strong Ones explores this statement. The theme of the novel is "Colonialism and its negative impacts on the African society." The narrative follows the town of  Umuga which is plunged into "chaos" (page 1) "...The manner of change in Umuga was not positive...my soul cried out against the violation our tradition suffered and would suffer for a long time to come if nothing was done to counter the headlong rush to destruction."  (page 1). The coming of the colonial masters refered to as the "Kosiri" is considered "violation." "...Kosiri infested us with their presence" (Page 2).
       The coming of the Kosiri is also associated with ills and evils "...Ever since the day that Kosiri and his escorts entered Umuga from Akwaihedi, and camped in the sacred forest of Agwazi...danger pervades the place and life of anyone who goes there is threatened. Agwazi's anger has remained unabated." (page 5)
       The narrative explores that with the coming of the Kosiri (White colonial master) apart from unfortunate punishment from the gods, the Kosiri also try to impose strange policies on Umuga. "Kosiri tried to cram unfamiliar food into our mouths but we resisted and spat it out." (page 9)
        The people of Umuga try at first to resist the policies of the Kosiri as was done in many African tribes during the colonial era. The lives of the people and their tradition is torn apart by the Kosiri. "...Is there an act of humiliation Kosiri would not inflict on our people?" (page 10)
        The White man came with strange laws "...The fundamental decisions affecting the lives of the people are made and implemented y the colonial masters..." This statement made by Osterhammel is depicted in the novel as the people are forced to attend the White man's court and punished for not doing so. "Yes, four heads of families compelled to fetch water like slaves...They were accused of not attending, regularly, the Native court at Awka, where the White man sits in judgement of the black man, applying his own senseless and strange laws." (page 10)
       The tone is of humiliation and the language portrays lamentation of the humiliation and embarrassment inflicted on the Black man by the White men. "...They were forced to draw water from Obibia stream, for Kosiri's cows, as a punishment for what Kosiri described as their negligence of duty." (page 10)
        The authorial voice explains that the colonized people are treated lower than the animals by the White men (Colonial masters). The men fetch water for the "Kosiri's cows," the animals are considered better than the Black man.
        The Colonial masters are considered 'meddlers' and evil men and they undermine the culture, judicial system and economic well being of the Black man. "Oluada refused to co operate with any power(...) that planned to undermine the culture, the traditional judicial system and the economic well being of Umuga...Life had to go on inspite of the Kosiri and their meddlesomeness." (page 12)
        The foreign invaders come into Umuga and act as if they are convinced of their own superiority and attempt to rule the people of Umuga. This makes the people see the foreigners as the enemy. "Kosiri and their agents are the enemy and our anger should be directed to them." (page 17)
         The evils of the Colonial masters' presence runs from page 1 to page 212`(the whole novel). The White man is an "evil", "an enemy", "a meddler", "a social disintegrator", and "an economic destroyer." The Umuga people tried at first to plead and reach a point of Compromise with the White man but the Kosiri as described by Osterhammel rejects cultural compromises with the colonized population "It is the visitor that leaves the homestead not the land owner...We made no progress in talking to the Kosiri and his agents. Let us try writing a letter." (pages 21-22)
         The letter written to the Kosiri is rejected "How can I explain to you our surprise the way the Kosiri responded to our letter? Did we not breathe peace into the words of that letter? Was there anything we did not do to see that the letter carried words meant to clear the ground for future friendly association with the Kosiri?" (page 74)
       The church and the school become the prominent symbols of the Colonial presence in Africa. The youth's of Umuga realize this and burn down the school and church "...the symbol of Kosiri's presence in Umuga." (page 156)
        The Kosiri was brutal and is thus cast in the novel. The Kosiri made the first move to war against Umuga to prove their own "superiority and their ordained mandate to rule." "We heard that Kosiri was preparing to invade Umuga and had moved his troops to Isuohia" (page 178)
         The Colonial masters used the 'Black man to fight the Black man.' The Colonial masters considered the Black man unimportant and therefore used them against themselves. "But the meddlers did not fight with our warriors. Those who fought our men were black people like us." (page 184-185) "We heard that the commander, who was called Captain Gunn was a White man, but our warriors never set eyes on him." (page 185) "They used us against us and from the look of things, they would use us again and again against us." (pages 194;195)
        The White man fought Umuga with the intention to subdue them to bring them to their knees in surrender. "...Umuga was overwhelmed by enemy troops, shooting to kill and destroying anything in sight." (page 189) "...Government and all its agents were determined to bring Umuga to their knees...Kosiri did not want to destroy Umuga completely, but rather to teach her a lesson." (Page 192)
       The Colonial masters are also seen as greedy and decide to destroy Umuga's economy "The elders and warriors agreed to hand over all the male Obuofo and Ezeagha to the government; to mobilize eight hundred men to work at the Milikin Hill in groups of four hundred each time they were called upon to do so; to pay a fine of one hundred and fifty pounds and to surrender three hundred guns to the government." (page 197)
        The Kosiri left Umuga inactive, disillusioned, frightened and confused. "Umuada were inactive. Kosiri and the government had restricted meeting of all social and cultural groups. Thus it was not possible for our people to meet and discuss their pains and problems." (pages 200-201)
        Ejimnaka's sudden death symbolizes the sudden death of the culture and traditions of Umuga due to the colonial presence (pages 201-204).
        After Ejimnaka's death, Umuga is plunged into the dizzy spiral of confusion designed by the White men. "The alien intruders neutralized every activity or ritual that was not in their interest." (Page 205) "We are people who believe that both the eagle and the kite have a right to perch and that disaster awaits the one that insists that the other should not perch. The meddlers who took over the land did not share this belief." (page 206)  "...The visitor has driven away the landowner and taken over the homestead." (page 207)
        The coming of the White man bring in many strange experiences to the land of Umuga. Yams with "arms, legs and male genitals" are harvested by a farmer. A woman gives birth to a baby with hair on "its jaw and two upper and lower teeth locked in its gums." "Rain fell without cease...famine stared us in the face...awigu descended upon us and started to consume the leaves on the trees..." (page 209)
         The picture painted by the novel reveals that the Colonial presence in Umuga (Africa) is an abomination and a desecration of the land.