Beware Soul Brother

Achebe uses traditional Igbo words, images, and references to express himself. In these traditions, Achebe finds a sense of identity and purpose. He ties his struggle to the entire history of his people, making his fight for freedom bigger than just himself or just his people who are currently alive. Instead, this is a fight for something that is inherently theirs. His ancestors bequeathed the land and the culture to Achebe and his soul brothers, so not only do they have this legacy on their side in the fight against oppression, but they also gain the strength of their culture’s wisdom and connection to the earth in their fight. However, Achebe is cognizant of the changing world, and he appropriates aspects of the dominant culture in his fight to keep his traditional one. He does this most explicitly with his molding of the abia drums with the cross. Instead of fighting the weapons of the oppressors, he chooses to use them to strengthen the position of his traditional culture.

In a similar way, Achebe appropriates the language of the colonizer while incorporating traditional language. He does not define what abia drums are, and he does not go into depth about the goddess Ala. He speaks to his reader as if they are familiar with these things, yet he writes in English with the intention of English speakers and Westerners reading the poem. This gives him great power over the reader. His use of traditional words forces the reader to take the time and energy to research what these things are to understand the poem. This also provides readers with an authentic voice for this culture, bringing them into this world that they might not be familiar with.