Choose a Cultural Aspect (see suggestions in Blog #5) to compare between the Ibo and the Bushmen of the Kalahari as they are seen in The Gods Must Be Crazy.
Use MLA Citation when referencing the Ibo.
Do not repeat an Aspect posted by anyone else. In other words, someone may discuss one law, you may not discuss the same law but you may discuss a different law.
Due: Friday, April 9
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“It is an abomination for a man to take his own life. It is an offense against the Earth, and a man who commits it will not be buried by his clansmen.” (Achebe 190)
The Ibo people have many customs and laws concerning their beliefs and their religion. It is part of their order, which drives their community. The example above provides us one example of these customs. The Bushmen of the Kalahari seen in The Gods Must Be Crazy don’t have any customs or laws. They do not believe a man can take his own life; they live an innocent primitive life, without the complications of social structure. Everything belongs to everyone, private property does not exist, and life is simple, there are no such things as consequences for committing suicide.
"Plant these and you will have an abundance of yams." (ch. 4)
In this quote we can see how Okonkwo was forced to borrow yams from Eze Nri. this gives us a slight example of how in the Ibo tribe everyone had to wok for their own success. Especially Okonkwo shows us how after the failure of his father he had to build his own Obi and plant his own crops to be someone and get ranks. on the other hand The Bushmen of the Kalahari had a stronger sense of community. They shared everything and acted more as a family with all the people of the tribe. They did not work to compete against each other much less did they lend things with the interest of receiving them back such as the yams.
The Ibo people of "Things Fall Apart" and the Bushmen of the Kalahari share a common cultural link in that they are both subsistence societies, meaning they have to maintain themselves through their agriculture. While free commerce seems to exist in the world of "Things Fall Apart", none is evident in the small tribe of the Bushmen as the concept of property is foreign to them.
"When he killed Oduche in the fight over the land..."(Achebe 162)
One of the main differences between the Ibo and the Bushmen is the idea and sense of property. The Ibo fight over and work hard for the best land within the Ibo community.The Bushmen on the other hand have to concept of ownership. They wander through the land and believe everything belongs to everyone. They share everything and have no disputes over who owns what.
The Ibo culture and the bushmen form the Kalahari share common grounds when it comes to the transformation of a child into a responsible, active member of society.
“Sometimes when he went to the big village meetings or communal ancestral feasts he allowed ikemofuna to accompany him, like a son carrying his stool and his goatskin bag.”( achebe 30)
in the excerpt above we are presented with an example of how the young people of the tribe begin their small contribution to society as small as it may be, by being honorable and serviceable to their elders by carrying your stuff as an honor.
In the bushmen of the klahari 2 wesee a similar scene when the children ask to be part of a scouting expedition, crucial activity within the bushmen and measure their height with a bow to determine their ability to begin their incorporation to be able to contribute to their group and culture.
"If I had a son like him U should be happy. I am worried about Nwoye. A bowl of pounded yams can throw him in a wrestling match (Achebe 63." This shows how Okonkwo didn't like his own son very much. It ocntrasts with the bushmen because they are a family culture. Everything was done in family and everyone loved each other. In The Gods Must be Crazy 2 XiXi's daughter and son get lost and he runs day and night to find them. This shows the great love and care he has for them. Unlike Okonkwo he doesn't regret having them because he loves them for who they are not what they should be.
The Ibo people live by farming. For example, "they grew women's crops, like coco-yams, beans and cassava. Yam, the king of crops, was a man's crop" (achebe25). In addition the Ibo drink palm wine. In contrast, as seen in THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY, the bushmen are traditional hunter gatherers. When they gather morning dew on leaves to drink and dig up roots and cut, shred, and squeeze them to drink the water stored inside.
The Ibo people when saw the bicycle, thought it was an iron horse and tied it down to a cotton tree. On the other hand, when the bushmen saw the cocacola bottle, they thought it was from the gods and used it usefully but later, the bottle brought envy and misery as people fought to use them so they called it as "the evil thing" and decided to throw it away. Both Ibo and Bushmen are curious about new items and interpret differently the uses and its meanings this is due to cultural differences as well as difference in technology.
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