A theme that runs through the poems in this unit is that a sense of pride is important to a sense of self-worth. What do you think is the connection between this theme and Africa's history of colonial rule? Support your view with details from at least two of the selections you have read.

Answer 1

The connection between the theme of pride and Africa's history of colonial rule is that the colonial powers sought to strip Africans of their sense of pride and self-worth. In Chinua Achebe's "Refugee Mother and Child," the mother is described as having "a proud and stoic bearing" despite her difficult circumstances, which suggests that she is still clinging to her sense of pride and self-worth. Similarly, in "The Song of Lawino," Lawino speaks of how her husband has been "brainwashed" by the colonial powers, and how they have tried to make him forget his African heritage and culture. This suggests that the colonial powers were attempting to strip Africans of their sense of pride and identity. Both of these poems demonstrate how the colonial powers sought to undermine the pride and self-worth of Africans, and how this has had a lasting impact on African culture and identity.