Hello and welcome back to my blog! It’s been an exciting 21 days doing this challenge.

Today’s Challenge: Read a Classic

At first I was going to read Western classics written by the likes of Charles Dickens or Jane Austen. But as I looked at my book shelf, I saw the famous ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua Achebe which I had been procrastinating.

Every young Nigerian has at one point or the other come across the story of this book. As I read it afresh in my adult mind, I had so many mixed feelings! I had a new found appreciation for the Nigerian culture of community and togetherness. I also wondered if the infiltration of western culture completely took that away. I saw the good and the bad in the disruption of Africa by the West. But most importantly, I appreciated that the story was told by a Nigerian. No one can tell a better story than the one who owns the story.

I’m trying not to get deep into a book review as this awakens political, economical and religious arguments. Personally, I appreciate other cultures and I believe the world is big, wide and should be explored. But I don’t appreciate when people take advantage of others or try to dominate them as though their own way of life is stupid. Sigh! I said I wouldn’t get deep into this, but clearly some bits of the book really got me upset at the wickedness in man’s heart.

In the midst of the chaos that went on in the book, and is yet multiplied in our time, we can only cling to hope as an anchor for our souls. For what do we live for if we have lost faith, hope and love?

You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is like an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.

Mahatma Gandhi

Read any classics lately? Share your thoughts!

Love,

M.