Achebe: Dead Men’s Path

Cultural exchange:

We should not be tempted to classify “Dead Men’s Path” as a mere illustration of a clash

of cultures, as this would be doing injustice to Achebe’s story. Naturally, the conflict

arises between two opposing cultures and their representatives, and at the close of the

story Michael and Nancy are left with the debris, not only of the school and gardens, but

also of Michael’s career, so the questions arise whether the clash could have been avoided

and whether Achebe offers any alternatives.

The story focuses on Achebe’s concern with dialogue, understanding, compromise and

common sense, qualities which Michael lacks but which the Ani demonstrates. He stresses

the need for humility in people who have reaped the benefits of Western education. In

Michael’s case humility and the willingness to enter into a dialogue with his antagonists

would have paved the way for a cultural exchange which, perhaps, would have enriched

both cultures.

Mimicry:

Michael Obi is the prototypical native who, by adopting and reproducing the colonizers’

cultural habits and values, by becoming himself an agent of European modernization an

progress, practises mimicry. However, mimicry can be destructive for the individual and

society, as he attempts to change social mores [= customs and behaviour that are

considered typical of a particular social group or community/ Sitten und Gebräuche] and

thereby often sows the seeds of his own or of his society’s destruction.

On Achebe’s Dead Men’s Path: the post-colonial era

Achebe was writing at a time when Africa was trying to shake off her colonial past and

create a new, post-colonial identity. He saw it as the duty of authors to correct the

stereotyped images of Africans created by the colonialists and to revive African pride and

dignity. This could be achieved, he thought, by reminding his fellow Africans of their own

history and traditions. He was the first African to gain international fame by writing fiction

about Africa in English and was very influential in encouraging his fellow authors to write

about African cultures.

Dead Men’s Path illustrates Achebe’s concern with the effects of modern Western values

on traditional African society. It describes a clash between European ideas of modernity

and ancient African beliefs and warns that any attempt to bring “progress” to a society

must be handled with care and patience, otherwise it will fail.

The story is set in 1949, when Nigeria was still under colonial rule. The British ran the

government and the influential Mission schools, such as the one where Obi is the

headmaster. Many African writers, including Achebe, warned that the new British-

educated black elite – people like Obi – would eventually take over from the colonial

rulers and might be just as bad for the country, if not worse.

The fact that Obi is the main character of the story illustrates the change in focus since the

colonial period. As part of the process of ‘decolonizing the mind’ post-colonial writers like

Achebe are more interested in the indigenous peoples (Völker) than the Europeans. In

Dead Men’s Path there is only brief mention of a European, the ‘white Supervisor’ who

comes to inspect the school. African characters are no longer stereotypes, but rounded

characters with psychological depth. As a consequence of this change in focus the point of

view has also shifted. Whereas colonialist writers told their stories through the eyes of

Europeans, postcolonial ones like Achebe are exclusively interested in the point of view of

their own countrymen.

From: Ziegésar: Caught between Cultures, Stuttgart (Klett) 2005, p. 126